


I Know I'll Find You There (Sans x Gaster [Humantale]) ~ Sequel to Don't Forget

by CrimsonFandomTrash



Series: Humantale Sanster Shenanigans [8]
Category: Humantale - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Humantale, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dissociation, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Freeform, Frisk Uses Sign Language, Gaster Needs a Hug, Good W. D. Gaster, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Insomnia, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Minor Alphys/Undyne, Minor Mettaton/Papyrus, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you.", SAVED Asriel Dreemurr, Sans Has Issues, Sans Needs A Hug, Sans Remembers Resets, Sanster, Selectively Mute Frisk, So many tags, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, W. D. Gaster is not related to Skelebros, shut up felix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-01-29 08:13:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 37
Words: 82,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12626796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonFandomTrash/pseuds/CrimsonFandomTrash
Summary: COMPLETEDFrisk notices that everyone is happy except for their jokester friend, and they just won't stand for that. Sans deserves a happy ending, too, after everything they've put him through. Frisk is determined to find where the source of Sans' happy ending is.Introduction Arc - Epilogue - SixSacrifice Arc - Seven - FourteenRetry Arc - Fifteen - TwentyTrust Arc- Twenty - Thirty-ThreeConclusion Arc- Thirty-Three - Epilogue





	1. Prologue - The Happiest Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the relationships mentioned in the tags (Sans x Toriel, Sans x Grillby, Gaster x Asgore) are past failed relationships, as in, they won't have any part in this story and will probably only be mentioned once or twice briefly. If anyone complains about it being a false advertisement or something, I'll remove those tags and edit this first note to confirm that something like that happened. Until then, those tags are staying there.
> 
> Also, note that this is still Humantale, being a sequel and all. Please no 'skeletons don't have *insert body part that skeletons don't have here*' comments. I am very aware skeletons don't have tongues, ears, hair, eyes, lips, etc. They aren't skeletons in this story, they're all humans (except Frisk and the other fallen, they're monsters).

Sunlight blinded the group as they emerged from the hole in the mountain that had once been blocked by a magic seal. The first noticeable change was, of course, the light. The second was the warmth. One after one, they all climbed out of the darkness to finally stand in the sun for the first time. Frisk helped an extra goat monster and an extra human child that hadn't been present for this occasion the many other times it had happened. "Wow..."

The small prince had been the one to say that as he went over to his mother and father's side. His sibling joined him, and the rest of the group emerged from the cavern. Almost everything after that was on cue, as scripted. Undyne had to follow Papyrus off the mountain after Sans had walked in the opposite direction, then Asgore ran off. The only people left on the ledge now were the former queen, the monster human relations ambassador, and the... Princes? Chara wasn't exactly a prince, but Frisk had a feeling they'd prefer to be called a prince over a princess any day. It just had a better ring to it... Prince Chara. 

Oh, gosh, it had taken so many runs just to save Chara and Asriel. Frisk had relived this place so many times over and over just to find every secret they could, just to bring the royal children back to life. How many runs had it been since they'd first fallen? Five hundred? Truth be told, they'd lost count at around two hundred, and it had definitely been a while since run number two hundred. Either way, after over two years, Frisk had finally achieved the happiest ending. There would be no more resets. 

_**\----------** _

Smoothing things out with the monsters had been easier than Frisk anticipated, but then again, monsters were very accepting people. After all, no two monsters were ever entirely alike, so what was the point of holding people to some unrealistic biased opinion? It was more productive to accept that everyone was different. That didn't mean, however, that the mountain of paperwork Frisk had to do all the time was easy. Oh, well. This was the curveball life had thrown at them. All they needed was time, dedication, and determination. 

It was nice, the small boss monster mused, to finally have the happiest possible outcome. Alphys and Undyne were together, Mettaton and Papyrus were a thing now, too, and having Asriel and Chara around was pretty cool, too. It felt like a family, and it actually kinda functioned like one, too. Asgore and Toriel were mom and dad, Papyrus was a cool older brother, Undyne was a big sister, Alphys was... Well, Alphys. And Sans was basically the uncle. 

Oh, yeah... Sans... Where to even start with Sans? Frisk had to admit, this was the least they'd seen him during any run before. Sans was just so absent from the picture. The former sentry did nothing but sleep all day, and then he'd stay up all night, when Frisk and everyone else was asleep, just to sleep the day away again. It was honestly starting to get worrying. He hadn't even been outside since they got to the surface. 

Frisk frowned. It was... Probably their fault he was like that. After all, Sans was the only other one who remembered the resets. Flowey had even told them that he'd messed around with the comedian's head, and that was a couple hundred resets ago, but he still remembered. In a way, he was almost like a victim of a war. 

Okay, maybe a couple hundred wars... But, who was counting, anyway? Frisk sure as heck wasn't. They were too busy working on their schoolwork and their ambassador paperwork. Sighing, they kept working. With the promise they'd made of 'no more resets'and the fact that they'd even broken their button to make sure they couldn't break their promise, it was going to be very difficult to achieve the ultra super happiest ending where even Sans got a happily ever after. Lord knows he deserved it...

Slipper clad feet went through the house quietly, or as quietly as a nearly two hundred pound man could. Surprisingly, it was still very quiet, but he must have woken up too early, or at least left his room too early because Toriel was still in the living room. "Sans?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked to her. "Uh, 'sup, Tori?" He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and straightened his posture a little, grinning. 

Please don't ask the question, please, oh, please don't ask the question. "I've not really seen you in weeks, my dear friend. Are you alright?"

Okay, she asked it, anyway. Now Sans just had to think of some excuse. "Oh, uh, yeah. Just been really tired." Well, it wasn't a lie. "I'm okay. I guess I've just been sleeping too much, but, it's not like I've got better to do with my time." Translation: 'No one'll miss me or even notice I'm gone so I can sleep as much as I like'. 

Toriel looked... Conflicted. "Oh, well... Okay. But, if the need ever arises, you can talk to me."

Sans gave her a half hearted wave as he continued his journey to the kitchen. "Thanks, Tori. I'll keep that in mind."


	2. One - Operation Search Sans' Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk, Chara, and Asriel search Sans' room for answers, and Asriel finds a whole book full of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once I finish up to chapter five or something like that, I might take a hiatus for the rest of 2017. I'm not sure though. I'll keep you all updated on that. 
> 
> Planning on making longer chapters, I'd appreciate some feedback. Do you guys want longer chapters? They wouldn't take too much longer to make, and there's more for you to read. It's up to you guys, so please do comment and tell me what you think. Longer chapters, yay or nay. 
> 
> Trigger warning: Brief mention of self-harm, suicidal ideology, and mention of loss. You've been warned.

Frisk frowned as Chara continued speaking. "Your plan is just dumb." They went on. "You gotta be sneakier than that if you're actually gonna pull anything off."

They were planning on how to infiltrate Sans' room. Frisk had mentioned their... Concern for Sans, and suggested the answer might be somewhere in his room. After all, why else would Sans spend all his time in his room if not to feed some personal reason? There was something in that room that would tell them what was wrong with Sans, they just knew it. "Chara, don't be so mean," Asriel said.

"I'm just sayin', 's'all." Chara shrugged. "We need a reliable way to get and keep him out of his room for a while if we're gonna find anything. Doing it while his back is turned is risky because you never know when he'll turn back around."

They were right. 'How are we gonna do that?' Frisk signed. Chara shrugged again. 

"Beats me." They said. They idly dragged a cheese curl through some ranch dressing. "Just get him to spend some time with his brother, or something. Guilt trip him or bribe Papyrus to help us. That's your best bet."

Make the man who's already more miserable feel even worse about himself, or go against every moral bone left in their body and bribe Papyrus... Decisions, decisions. Well, truth be told, their paws were already quite dirty, metaphorically speaking. What was one more sin to carry around? 'Where's Papyrus?' 

The other boss monster grinned a little. "In the kitchen. How are you gonna pull this off, partner?"

'It'll be easy.' Frisk replied. 'He's just as interested in this as we are. He'll totally help.'

They walked into the kitchen, and, lo and behold, there stood Papyrus in all of his weird, goofy glory. Frisk tugged on his apron, and Papyrus looked down to them. "Well, hello, tiny monster! How can I help you?" He asked. Frisk tugged his apron again, gesturing for him to come down to their level. He did so, and they whispered something in his ear. "Oh, um... Okay." He stood back up, and Frisk gave him a thumbs up. He returned the gesture, and Frisk returned to the dining room table to keep planning with their siblings. 

_**\----------** _

Blinking sleepiness from his eyes, Sans yawned. He'd definitely left his room way too soon, and he had a bad feeling he was gonna regret that, but damn was he hungry. Of course, he didn't expect to almost have half a heart attack while pouring milk into a bowl so he could have some cereal. "Sans!" He immediately spilled a bit of milk outside the bowl and looked at the person who had yelled his name. His brother. Papyrus sure was... Louder than what he remembered. He didn't like that. 

"Yeah...?" Sans asked. He half expected to get yelled at for sleeping all day. 

Instead, Papyrus put his hands on his hips. "Are you making a bowl of cereal?"

Sans blinked. This... This was a question people actually asked? Didn't 'pouring milk into a bowl' usually mean cereal, like, automatically? It wasn't like he was trying to bake or something. "Yeah... So?"

Papyrus crossed his arms. "Why are you pouring the milk in first?"

The older brother sighed as he capped the milk and put it back in the fridge. "It's easier to reach than the cereal. Even the kids can reach it better than I can." 

Oh, right. Sans' short stature fucked him over quite often, especially now that they were all living in a house with so many people. Only until the end of the year, of course. Papyrus was saving up for an apartment for just him, Sans and Mettaton. Apartments were cheap, but the younger brother was insistent in waiting until they had some money to fall back on, as well. So, he was saving. "Oh," Papyrus said. He grabbed the cereal from the cabinet and handed it to his brother. 

"Thanks," Sans replied dully. He started pouring the cereal into the bowl, and then Papyrus cleared his throat. Sans paused and looked to him. 

"Um, brother..." Papyrus said. "Mettaton's working right now, and so is Undyne, so I don't really have anyone to hang out with, and we don't really get to talk anymore..."

It was an odd request, to want to hang out with someone like him. But, then again, everything Papyrus did was the definition of odd. He still exited and entered buildings through windows whenever the opportunity was there. And then there were his dating choices. Ugh... Mettaton... Sans didn't like him, at all. "I mean, sure. Whattaya wanna do, bro?" May as well indulge his younger brother. Truth be told, he even missed hanging out with Papyrus a tiny bit. 

"Can we play a video game? Undyne picked up a new one yesterday called Mario Kart or something like that. It looks fun."

Who the hell was Sans to say no to his brother? No one important. No one worth having an opinion. "Sure thing, Pap."

_**\----------** _

The children crept upstairs with ease, not even running into any adult who would question them. Or worse: Sans. Papyrus sure was keeping his older brother busy on Rainbow Road, and unless Sans, who was as patient as the day was long rage quit the game, they'd have plenty of time to do enough poking around to the point where Frisk was sure they could find something to help them crack the case of what was wrong with their jokester friend. Time was on their side, and that filled them with determination. 

"Alright, let's get in and right back out. I don't feel like getting grounded." Chara said. The three children slipped into the room with ease. The search was on. 

Frisk pulled drawers open and searched through them while Asriel searched the bookcase and Chara stood watch. The room was a pigsty, but Sans seemed to at least have the organization part of cleaning down pretty well. His clothes were folded or hanging nicely in the closet, he kept all his dirty dishes were in a corner of the room so that they weren't in the way, and there were other signs that Sans knew how to clean, maybe even better than Papyrus, but just didn't put the effort in. Frisk didn't really know how to feel about that. Why would someone live in a mess like this if they very clearly knew how to fix the mess? Plus, Sans spent all of his time in here. Didn't he have ample time to clean his room? 

"Um, guys? I think I found something." Asriel said. Frisk looked over at him to see in their brother's hands a notebook. Bingo. 

'Can I see it?' Frisk signed. Asriel nodded and handed the notebook to his sibling. It was nothing special looking on the outside. The cover was plastic and dirty. Ripped in some areas, a corner seemingly ripped off, so it was obviously a pretty old book. Just an everyday composition notebook. The cover was a deep purple. They flipped the old thing carefully to the first page and began reading. 

_December 22, 2012,_

_Happy fucking birthday to me. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo, I'm twenty years old now. I'd jump for joy, but honestly, what's the point? I should be dead right now. There's no reason I should even still be trying to fight when I've already lost. Hell, the universe likes making me suffer so much that I'm sick with a cold while writing this, on my birthday. If that isn't the biggest 'fuck you' ever, I don't know what is._

_Papyrus got me this notebook for my birthday and said he vaguely remembered me liking the color purple. Not like he knows the reason why, but this thing definitely matches his eyes. Not that it matters. He still hasn't come back, despite it being months now. I miss him so much. I'd do anything to get even just another minute with him, so I could at least say goodbye. It wouldn't be so bad if I had some closure, I think. Not to mention how lonely it gets missing someone who doesn't even exist. No one else remembers him. Only I do._

_I stumbled across the thing he gave me last year for my birthday while going through my closet yesterday. He gave me a map of the stars on the surface. It was sheer luck that he ever even got his hands on something like that. I've got it tucked away in my wallet, for safekeeping, along with the picture we took together that day we watched anime with Alphys. I just want to wake up and for this to be a bad dream. To wake up screaming in the middle of the night after dreaming he was gone with him next to me in bed would be better than dreaming about the last time I saw him to wake up all alone. But, it's been months now. So, I have to face the facts, and the fact is that I just probably won't ever see him again. Because, y'know, the universe hates me._

_January 1, 2013,_

_So, I guess writing my thoughts down every now and then could be kinda useful for something. After all, without him here, it's not like I have anyone else to talk to. Papyrus is too young and naive to understand any of this stuff, it's not Undyne's problem, and I don't even know where to begin when I try to talk to Grillby. So, I just keep a lot of shit bottled up, and even as self-destructive as I usually am, this just isn't even manageable without making my thoughts known to at least something, even if not a someone. I really would rather a someone, though._

_I kinda fucked up today. After months of powering through being completely alone in the world, I finally snapped. Even after he told me that it doesn't make anything better, and even after I'd come to the conclusion he was right, I still ended up cutting today. And you know what? It actually made me feel better. It's not like I don't deserve to hurt, I'm probably the reason he disappeared in the first place. Now he's gone, and I can't get my mind off of him as hard as I try. I really messed up by letting him go like that. I should have stayed at the lab with him. I should never have left him alone, because then, at least, I could have tried to save him. So, it's my fault, and I deserve to hurt._

_January 26, 2013,_

_I don't feel well today. Like, at all. One moment I'm hot, the next I'm cold. I keep sneezing and I honestly feel pretty dead. Papyrus tried giving me some medicine, but I don't think it helped. Just another reason I need my nerd back. He was always being such a mother about everything. I guess it was just his nature. If we had kids, he probably would have been the mother in the relationship. Guess I'll never know, right? I'm gonna raise Papyrus the rest of the way, and then I'm just never gonna be able to raise a kid again._

_Even if I could have another kid (because let's face it, I'm more like Papyrus' parent than his brother just based on the fact that I've raised him since he was only a few months old), I don't think I'd want to. Not on my own, at least, and it's pretty unlikely I'm ever gonna be with anyone ever again after this. No one would want me, anyway. The only thing I bring to the table is my crippling depression, bad jokes, and constant illness. I just got over this a month ago, and I'm already sick again. I'm really just not worth anyone's time. Not even his._

_But, it doesn't really matter if anyone would ever want me again. I just want him back._

Frisk skipped ahead in the notebook to a more recent entry. Not very recent, but more recent than a time when they'd probably stood up to Sans' waist if they would have known each other. Not that they did, since that was years before Frisk fell into the Underground. 

_April 3, 2015_

_He would be twenty-seven now, I think. I know he's one of the only things I write about in here, but truth be told, I really just can't help it. Even now, I constantly think of him. How long has it been since I'd seen him...? Three years almost, I think. He disappeared in about May of 2012, and it's April 2015, so about three years almost exactly. I dunno. That damn flower has me mixed up on too many dates. I wish he would just 'leaf' me alone... Heheh. That's not likely, though, is it? I'm gonna be stuck going through time loop after time loop with that little weed, and there ain't jack shit I can do._

_His sweaters still smell like him, though truthfully, I couldn't ever really find the words to describe the smell. He used this shampoo called 'cherry blossom', but honestly, it smells more like chestnuts. Which is weird, obviously, but it smelled nice on him so I'm not complaining. Either way, I'm kinda swallowed up in one of his sweaters right now, and it does still smell like him very much. Almost kind of makes it feel like he never even left in the first place._

_Happy birthday, you dork. I miss you._

"Uh, guys, I think we should leave," Chara said. "I think I hear Sans coming upstairs."

Oh, no. Frisk scrambled to hide the notebook under their shirt so they could read more later without having to sneak back in. What was the likelihood Sans would even want to use this thing before he even noticed it was gone? The last entry had been in 2016, they'd been able to skip to the back of the book and see that. But this thing was very important to have. Already the gears in Frisk's head were turning. 

The children all basically scurried downstairs and into their room just as Sans was rounding the corner to go up the stairs to his room. That... Had been way too close. Thank God for Papyrus distracting Sans as long as he did. 


	3. Two - Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk finally pieces together who the person Sans keeps mentioning in the notebook is and starts making a plan to reunite the couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The people have spoken, and I am now going to make longer chapters. All chapters will be at least 2,000 words.

Frisk liked to think that if they were able to tell Alphys, and if it wasn't severely immoral to go through a grown man's personal diary, the anxious scientist would have been proud of how cleverly they were piecing things together in this way. Of course Frisk couldn't tell any of the adults what they were doing, and they were sure they were going to get in trouble for this later, but they'd already wordlessly promised Sans a happy ending. Consequences be damned, Frisk was going to get a happily ever after for the person who had already suffered the most from their continuous experimentation in the Underground. 

It became very increasingly obvious as they read on that they were correct in thinking Sans was suffering from some sort of mental illness. Again, that was probably mostly their fault, but a lot of it also seemed to revolve around whoever Sans talked about so frequently in the notebook. He'd never written a name, but Frisk could gather that it was probably Sans' significant other. Obviously, from the pronouns used (he, him and his), his significant other had been another male. That narrowed the search down, at least. Now Frisk just had to figure out who the heck Sans was talking about... This called for more searching.

And then it clicked. Sans' wallet. He had a star map and a picture of him and his boyfriend in his wallet. He'd said so in the book. It would stand to reason that Sans wouldn't have taken those things out of his wallet. They must still be there, and Frisk had to find it. 

It wasn't difficult to find Sans' wallet, the former sentry always left his wallet lying around on the first floor. Odd behavior, since there was supposedly really important stuff to him in that wallet, but Sans was kind of forgetful sometimes. Frisk swore Sans' head was in a different dimension most days even when he was awake. Even when Sans was awake, he just wasn't all there. Distracted by seemingly nothing, he would stare into space often. Frisk supposed that if they had really bad thoughts creeping in the back of their head and got distracted by nothing, they'd leave stuff lying around, too. 

Finding the wallet was easy. It sat on the kitchen counter, an easy target. It was easily recognizable as Sans' wallet, too. It was leather, and old, and beat up looking. There were stickers stuck onto basically every inch of the piece of leather, and they were in a worse state than the actual wallet, dirty and old and hanging off, peeled off and ripped in some places. The hard part of this was getting the wallet alone and unattended so that they could find the picture and hopefully identify whoever it was that Sans had been talking about in his journal. Doing this was going to be difficult, and the only reason for that was that Sans was sleeping at the table right in front of his wallet. Frisk already knew from personal experience Sans was a light sleeper. This was going to be... Challenging. It filled the small boss monster with determination. 

They climbed up onto the chair opposite from Sans, and they could have sworn it took them a million years just to climb up there because of how quiet they were trying to be. This chair was known for having a wobbly leg, and it made a lot of noise because of that. Perhaps it was a bad idea to climb this chair if they were trying to be sneaky. Sans stirred as the chair leg squeaked on the ground, but soon settled again, his head still rested on his arms with his hood over his head. Okay, even if they did mess up and wake him up, they might have a few extra moments. Sans would need to take his hood down when he woke up to be able to see anything. He literally had the drawstrings pulled as tightly as he could and only his nose stuck out from a small hole where the hoodie didn't close. 

Carefully, quietly, as gently as they could, they picked the wallet up. Sans continued to sleep. They slowly retreated, and, to their relief, they'd gotten away with it. They just had to return the wallet before Sans woke up. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

Frisk sat on their bed and pulled the wallet out of their pocket. Why did Sans have all these old stickers on here, anyway? Actually, that didn't matter. The thing that mattered right now was finding that picture to get one step closer to happily ever after. They wouldn't be satisfied until  _everyone_  was happy. They opened the wallet with care since this old thing was probably falling apart more than its owner. 

The first thing they noticed was Sans' ID card, then his driver's license (that he never used because he never went outside, but that also meant he didn't use his ID, either). After that, there was a clear-ish (dirtied with age like the rest of the wallet) pouch in the back of the wallet with what seemed to be a folded piece of paper, and there was something else behind it. A polaroid picture. Jackpot! They pulled the picture out of the wallet, and-

Oh. The other person in this photo... Didn't have a face. The picture didn't seem to have aged too well. But, then again, Sans still stood out. The ink hadn't faded on that side of the picture. Why was it that the other person's face was completely blurred out? It didn't make sense. Still, the other person in the picture looked vaguely familiar... Dark hair, pale skin. Frisk could have sworn they'd seen this person before, somewhere in the Underground. They'd have to keep searching. 

They returned the wallet with ease, not really bothering to sneak it back. Sans was still asleep in the same position he had been when they'd taken the wallet in the first place. It wasn't likely that he was going to wake up anytime soon. With that in mind, Frisk ventured back to their room to see what other information they could get from that nifty purple notebook. 

_**\----------** _

So far, Frisk knew this about the mystery man:

He was definitely Sans' boyfriend. There was no way they were just friends when Sans kept talking about him in the notebook the way he did. There was one mystery solved. Another thing Frisk knew was that, whoever it was, they were a nerd. Possibly even more of a nerd than Sans, but there wasn't enough evidence to prove that, and it wasn't like it mattered, anyway. They also knew mystery man wore sweaters. Sans had said in the notebook about how he was 'swallowed in one of his sweaters', which implied that mystery man had a lot of sweaters. The last thing they knew was that mystery man had vanished, not died. Sans just woke up one day and he was gone. Poof. As if he never even existed. 

Although it wasn't a lot to go on, they had a feeling that was all they were really gonna be able to find out. They'd read the notebook and done just about nothing else for the entire day, and now it was bedtime on a Sunday night. They wouldn't be able to read the notebook again until next weekend, that was the next time they'd have enough time to do it. That was too long. Frisk wanted their friend to be happy now. School truly was merciless in all of its time-wasting splendor. They wondered how much they could get done if they didn't have to go to school. Maybe Sans could've had his happy ending sooner rather than later. 

_**\----------** _

The next week of school had been hell. Frisk was so anxious to start getting to work on finding mystery man, and all this school and ambassador nonsense was getting in the way. As soon as they got in the door on Friday, they'd went straight to their room and told Toriel that they were studying. In reality, they were going through the notebook one last time to scrape any other details together that they could. They'd find mystery man with one hand and eat a potato chip with the other. 

They finally managed to narrow down the possibilities. When they realized it couldn't have been anyone on their list, they took another moment to string everything they knew together. Pale skin, dark hair, sweaters. Nerdy, and someone who had disappeared. It clicked in their mind like a cap on a tube of toothpaste. They knew who the mystery man was. 

The man behind the grey door. What had his name been...? Gaster...? Yeah, Gaster. Gaster was the former Royal Scientist, and Frisk already knew Sans had worked at the lab once upon a time before Alphys had become the Royal Scientist, and it honestly just... Made sense. Gaster and Sans? Frisk barely knew Gaster, but they knew a nerd like Gaster would be perfect with a nerd like Sans. With the finding things out part out of the way, Frisk began thinking of how they could possibly reunite Sans and Gaster. 

They'd broken their reset button, but they'd never broken their menu. Which meant they still had access to the FUN Value. Access to the FUN Value meant they could make the grey door in Waterfall appear. At least getting to Gaster would be easy. Now they just had to convince Sans to go to Waterfall with them, since they were pretty sure Gaster couldn't leave the grey room. As you can imagine, it's pretty hard to get around when you're scattered throughout time and space. The former Royal Scientist was lucky he could even be in that room, though, just like him, it didn't exist and you had to go through hell to get it to pop up. 

This plan could take a while to make.

Sans couldn't help but think about how his brother was, essentially, a housewife. It was pretty ass-backward for someone like Mettaton to be the breadwinner. Yeah, Papyrus had a job, but his hours were all wonky, and Papyrus only took the job so he could save up for that apartment. Sans wondered how they didn't have enough to move if Mettaton was such a star. Weren't stars usually rich? This all made no sense. "Hey, Pap, I had the weirdest dream."

"Oh?" Papyrus asked, scrubbing a dish. "What about?"

"It felt so real. You finally broke up with Mettaton and told me I was right to not like him."

Papyrus rolled his eyes. "Well, good thing it was only a dream."

"I really don't like him," Sans said. 

"I heard you the five hundred other times you told me, I hear you now, I'll hear you later, but I'm not breaking up with him just because you want me to, Sans. You're just gonna have to get used to him."

"Okay," Sans said. "Don't break up with him because I don't like him. Break up with him because I've got a really bad feeling about him. He's gonna end up hurting you."

"Sans, I'd like to think my skin is a bit thicker than that to get hurt by a failed relationship. If it doesn't work out, it just doesn't. Meanwhile, it is working. So, until it isn't working, I don't have a reason to break up with him."

Ah. The 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach. Sans laid his head ion his arms again. "I don't like him..." He muttered.

"You don't like a lot of people, brother."

Sans gave Papyrus a quick "Hm." As a reply. "Wonder why. Maybe because people suck?"

Papyrus sighed, shaking his head. "You know, maybe getting outside and meeting someone could do you some good. You don't really have many friends."

Getting outside and meeting someone? It almost sounded as if Papyrus was implying Sans should get into a relationship, and he couldn't really tell if his brother was shooting more for the friendly type of relationship, or the romantic type. Either way, that was never gonna be a thing. "Yeah, no. Never gonna happen."

"Why not?" Papyrus asked.

"I'm not the romantic type. Don't need anything like that."

"Sans, you've never even been with anyone." Papyrus reasoned. Sans visibly cringed. 

"Look, I'm just not interested. I don't need anyone. I'm plenty fine on my own." Even he didn't believe it as the words came out, but it wasn't like Sans was about to be like 'actually my boyfriend kinda erased himself from time and space and then everyone forgot he did ever even exist except me'. Ignorance is bliss after all, so there was no point in telling Papyrus about Gaster. Equally, there was no reason to go look for someone else. There was no way he was ever gonna feel that way about someone else ever again, and that was just the reality of it.

Well, there were those two times he was pretty sure he'd felt something for someone, but now he was convinced that there wasn't anyone else for him. After all, the first time he'd tried to move on, it turned into a thing he and the other guy did for fun, and then it just wasn't fun anymore after the first few nights. The other time, the timeline got reset, and he just lost interest in her. Neither of them was Gaster, so he didn't want them. 

Papyrus sighed again as he worked to start cooking dinner. "I'm just worried about you, Sans. All you do is sleep all day, and do nothing all night. It's very unhealthy, and I feel like if you had someone, you'd be able to talk about whatever's bothering you."

Papyrus wasn't stupid. Naive sometimes, sure, but stupid? Far from it. Sans knew his younger brother would eventually be able to tell there was something wrong with him, so there wasn't any point in denying it. "I don't want anyone," Sans repeated. "Just lemme deal with this on my own, Papyrus. It's not you, or anyone else's problem. It's mine."

Papyrus didn't reply, and honestly, Sans was glad that discussion was over. He stood from the table, grabbing his wallet and going up to his room. 


	4. Three - Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk, Chara, and Asriel make a plan to reunite Sans and Gaster. Needless to say, it's not very hard to reunite the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, this is probably too soon, but there isn't really much to do without Gaster in the plot. That's what this story's about, after all. There is no story without both of the nerds being in my arsenal. That's how I'm justifying rushing into this.

Finding Gaster was the easy part. After all, it's pretty easy to find something when you know where it is. Any time Frisk had gone through the grey door in Waterfall, that's where the former Royal Scientist was. It was, as far as Frisk knew, the only place in the Underground where Gaster could exist, given that the door was also an anomaly. The hard part now was getting Sans to Waterfall, and getting the grey door to appear. The door was only there whenever the FUN Value was at sixty-six, and sometimes, it barely even showed up then. It'd take some effort. Good thing they had their siblings to help them plan. 

'Do you guys remember Dr. Gaster?' Frisk signed. Asriel gasped, nodding. 

"Yeah, he was our dad's friend!" The young prince said. 

"And his Royal Scientist," Chara said. "What about him?"

Frisk held up the notebook. "Gaster is the one Sans keeps talking about in the notebook." They said. Chara looked thoughtful for a reason. 

"Yeah, Sans was at our house a few times with him. Right before me and Asriel died." 

"I think him and Sans were in a relationship," Frisk said. "That's why Sans is in such a funk. Gaster got erased when he fell into his own creation."

"It'd be kinda hard to keep dating someone if they don't exist." Chara shrugged. 

Frisk put the notebook down so they could go back to using sign language. 'I know where Gaster is, though! That's why I need you and Azzy's help. We need a plan.'

"Since when are we a dating service? I don't recall agreeing to being a matchmaker."

"Oh, come on, Chara," Asriel said. "It'll take like, twenty minutes. Let's just help Frisk make a plan."

_**\-----** _

Admittedly, it'd took longer than Frisk would have liked to explain everything that happened to Dr. Gaster, and where he was now, and how they could find him, but eventually, their siblings understood. "Okay, so let me get this straight," Chara said. "Gaster, the brilliant Royal Scientist who built The Core, fell into his own creation. It erased him from time and space, and everyone's memories. Now the only people who remember him are me and Asriel because we died before he disappeared, you because you saw him behind a grey door during several of our runs, and Sans."

'Basically.'

"And why does Sans remember him?" The other boss monster asked. 

Frisk laughed nervously. "Oh, uh..." They said. "Sans kinda... Exists outside of the timeline? He remembers everything. Even after a true reset."

Chara blinked. "So, that entire time you were going through the Underground, Sans knew everything you were doing?" Frisk nodded, and Chara frowned. "Frisk, you're an idiot. You took over two years to finally get a happy ending, and someone's still being affected by what you did down there. Not cool, kid."

Frisk rubbed the back of their head. "I didn't expect it to affect him so bad... That's why I'm trying to get Gaster back."

"'Here, Sans, I know I killed your brother like half a million times, but here's your boyfriend who doesn't exist.'"

"Chara, stop it," Asriel said. Chara crossed their arms. 

"Well,  _I'm_  not the one who killed Mr. Just Give Up's brother a few hundred times," Chara said. "And you act surprised he's so miserable. Of course he's miserable. He remembers his brother dying,  _and_  his boyfriend who doesn't even exist."

'I know what I did was wrong. That's not what I wanted to talk about. I just need some way to reunite them, so I need a plan.' 

"Just tell him you gotta show him somethin', then take him to the stupid door," Chara said. "He can teleport. Shouldn't be that hard to get him to go to Waterfall. It's not like he has to walk there, or something." 

'What if he doesn't want to go anywhere?'

"I wouldn't either if I looked like that." 

"Chara!" Asriel gently pushed his sibling. Chara shoved back.

"What? He looks gross. I don't even think he showers."

And then Chara and Asriel began arguing over... Frisk didn't know what. They weren't really paying attention. They were too busy mulling their options over in their head. They walked out of the now loud from fighting children bedroom and downstairs. 

_**\-----** _

The moment Frisk saw Sans the first time that day (which was eight PM after Sans had slept the day away again), they ran up to him and tugged on his jacket. They noted that Sans was wearing a sweater underneath his jacket instead of the usual tee shirt. Light grey, with stretchy fabric around the neck. Definitely Gaster's sweater. Sans looked down to them as they continued to tug on his jacket sleeve. He smiled. "'Sup, kid?"

It didn't take rocket science for Frisk to know that that was a fake smile. Sans didn't really like Frisk, and they couldn't really blame him. The smiles and the words of encouragement Sans gave Frisk was meant to make them feel bad about what they'd done, and it worked. That was beside the point right now. Frisk didn't care if Sans liked them, or not. What they cared about was at least trying to give Sans the ending he deserved. "Can we take a shortcut to Waterfall?" They asked. Sans raised a brow.

"What do you need to go to Waterfall for?" He asked. Frisk let go of his jacket sleeves and put their thumb and index finger together next to their eyes, flicking their index fingers out. "It's a surprise?" Sans asked. Frisk nodded. "Well, okay," Sans said. Frisk smiled happily and held onto Sans' jacket sleeve again. "You know the drill, just don't let go." 

Frisk's paw gripped into the fabric of Sans' jacket more as they felt the floor disappear and reappear underneath their feet. They were in Waterfall, more specifically, the room with Sans' telescope. Bingo. Right where they needed to be, and they haven't even told Sans that part. Eagerly, they pulled their menu screen up in front of them. Sans stared at them with a confused look as they messed around with some of the numbers, but didn't say anything. Now that the FUN Value was at the proper number, Frisk closed their game menu and pulled on Sans' sleeve again. They tugged in the direction of the grey door. "What, is the surprise in the next room, kid?" Frisk nodded. "Okay," Sans said. He allowed the tiny boss monster to pull him into the next room. 

Sans had been in this part of Waterfall for years now. He knew Waterfall just as good, if not better than he knew Snowdin. He'd never seen this room before, but Frisk seemed happy that there was a room here that wasn't supposed to be here. It was only a small corridor, but it just wasn't supposed to even be here, and that was the part that freaked him out. In this small, supposed to be non-existent corridor, was a door. Sans pointed to it. "This wasn't here before." He said. Frisk nodded. 

'Open it.' They signed. 

"Why?" Sans asked. Frisk only replied by pointing at the door. Sans sighed. "I'm not gonna die, or something else sinister if I open this door, right? Like, there's not a really pissed off bear behind this door or some shit, right?" 

'Nothing like that, I promise.'

"I'm gonna trust you on this, Frisk," Sans said. "If you're lying, I'm gonna kick your butt, and you're gonna have to reload. Capiche?"

Frisk nodded. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page, then." He said. Frisk pointed again at the door, and slowly, probably hesitant and distrusting, Sans put his hand on the doorknob and turned. He swung the door open. Frisk couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment when they saw the hunched over figure in the corner of the room. Yes! It worked! There was one strange thing, though. The figure, who Frisk knew to be Gaster, was crying. He had his face hidden in his knees, and his signature bandaged hands were also hidden. Sans wouldn't be able to instantly recognize that person as Gaster. 

Still, the comedian looked curious. He opened his mouth to talk for a second, but then closed it again as he eyed the hunched figure closer. "Um, excuse me...? Sir...?"

Those words alone ignited a switch, and the figure in the corner looked up from his knees. The next few moments were filled with Sans' eyes widening, and silence. The former Royal Scientist and his former assistant stared at each other in silent shock. Gaster stood to his feet as Sans walked closer. He walked slowly, still staring at Gaster as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Frisk smiled to themself. A job well done, they'd say. It hadn't taken long at all to find the source of Sans' happy ending. 

Gaster was the first to speak. "Sans...?" Gaster's voice was raspy from not using it. That made sense. Frisk didn't remember the last time they'd visited him. Probably about four or five runs ago. 

Sans didn't reply, and the boss monster couldn't recall seeing Sans ever throw his arms around someone that fast. He'd hugged Papyrus similarly in other timelines, but it was never anything like this. Gaster stumbled back a little as he wrapped his arms around Sans. Frisk couldn't really tell if they were tears of joy or not, but Sans started crying, and that's when the boss monster decided to leave Sans and Gaster alone. They'd just go for a walk and see Sans later. 

The moment the door had clicked closed behind Frisk, Sans pressed his head up against Gaster's chest. "I thought I'd never see you again..."

"I thought the same thing..." Gaster said. "I guess we were wrong."

"Obviously about more things than one." If only for the reason of seeing the entirety of Gaster, and not just his chest, Sans pulled away from the hug and looked up to the taller man. The scars on Gaster's face had worsened, and now went from under his left eye, down to the corner of his mouth, the other one on the right on his top eyelid now went from his eyelid all the way back into his hairline. He had a scar on his forehead, and his hair was... Definitely odd. He still wore the same glasses he had before he disappeared. He looked different but familiar. "What happened...?"

Gaster looked at the ground. "The, uh..." He cleared his throat. "I tripped into the machine, and it activated."

"Why didn't you turn it off?" Sans asked. 

"It was in testing mode..." Gaster replied. "And the door was locked." The scientist gestured to himself. "I guess we know what happens when the fuel tank is empty, now."

Sans was torn between slapping Gaster for being so foolish and kissing him. He didn't do either. "No one else remembers you..."

"Oh, trust me, I know," Gaster replied. "I'm basically nonexistent. But, you already figured that out." He stepped closer to Sans, who gripped onto the sleeves of the black lab coat the other was wearing and tilted his head up a little more so he could still make eye contact with Gaster. 

Sans addressed the obvious. "I missed you..."

Gaster smiled as he pulled Sans close again. Sans teared up. "I missed you, too..."

_**\-----** _

They didn't move for a while, not that Gaster really noticed. Even an hour felt like a couple seconds to him. Time isn't a really easy concept to grasp when you've been in an alternate dimension with nothing but a large screen to keep an eye on the multiverse with. Time was also hard to grasp when you've been erased from it, but probably no one else besides him had that issue. They hadn't said much, either, but that was mostly because there wasn't really much to talk about. Sans' fingers were curled tightly into the fabric of Gaster's lab coat, as if he felt that if he let go, Gaster would disappear again. "Where is the child...?"

"I dunno and I don't care. The brat can take care of themself. They're perfectly capable."

Gaster raised a brow. "I don't think Toriel would agree." 

"... Oh, wait, shit, yeah. She'd probably kill me if something happened to the kid." Sans pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Frisk. Gaster studied the device. Huh... Phones sure did have bigger screens now. Frisk picked up. "Kid, don't wander off too far. You still gotta get home in one piece."

"I'm right in the next room. You can send me home anytime." Frisk said. 

"Alright, then come here and I'll give you a shortcut home." 

"Okay."

Click. Sans looked to Gaster, who was still looking at the phone in his hand with curiosity. Right, he wouldn't know of the technological advances they'd made in the past few years. Sans set his phone on the ground as Frisk came into the room. The former sentry 'shortcutted' them home, and then he and Gaster were alone again. "So..." Sans started. "What's up with the galaxy hair, Gast...?"

It was hard to miss the literal stars in Gaster's hair. "Trust me, I didn't choose this. If I were to ever color my hair, I'd go for black." He eyed Sans' hair. "I see you've dyed your own hair."

Sans' hair was shaved around the sides and the back of his head. There was literally a single section of hair on the top of his head. It was dyed blue with orange at the tips. A strange hair option. "It was Papyrus' idea... I kinda like it."

"Matches your eyes nicely." Was all Gaster had to say. 

"Thanks..." Sans muttered. 

Gaster tilted Sans' chin up with his thumb. Sans felt the heat rush to his face. "What's the surface like...?"

Sans rubbed his arm. "Uh... I don't really know." He said. "I haven't really gone outside."

"Why not?"

Sans' eyes were downcast. "I didn't wanna see the stars without you." Gaster sighed. Sans looked back up to him. "This is... Still the only place you can exist. What are we gonna do...?" 

"What do you mean?"

"How are we gonna get you out?" He asked. "'Cuz I'm not going back without you. I didn't wait four and a half years to see you once for two hours. You're coming back with me."

"Sans..." Gaster shook his head. "Believe me, I've tried. There's no way out. I'm either here, or I'm there. There's nowhere else. I'm trapped, for good." 

"I'm not accepting that as an answer," Sans said. "I'm not leaving this room until you can."

The scientist fixed his glasses. "Well, maybe... Someone else can help." He said. "What's Dr. Alphys up to these days?"


	5. Four - For Old Time's Sake, And Whatnot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans asks Alphys for a huge favor, and Alphys (very hesitantly) agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally planned to put Sans and Gaster's fonts in this chapter whenever they were speaking, like in the game, but it just took way too long. One day I'll commit to a plan that takes a lot of effort. Today is not that day. Oh, well.

Gaster had somehow convinced Sans to go home. As long as the FUN Value was set at sixty-six, he wouldn't be going anywhere. If for some reason it was changed, Frisk could change it back, and it'd only be a matter of walking in and out of the room until the corridor showed up. There wasn't any risk of Gaster being lost forever again. Besides, Sans needed to go home. He had a very important discussion to have with Alphys. Of course, Sans didn't go back until the next morning and had literally slept on the floor with Gaster... Just in case something did go screwy and he never saw him again. It was basically the closure they'd never had. That being said, Sans made sure to give him a big goodbye kiss (just in case) before he finally went home. 

Though the former sentry was used to being home and liked being home, even, Sans didn't like being home right now. He really would rather have stayed in that small grey room with Gaster. Oh, well. The reason Gaster had sent him home in the first place was so that he could find a way to get Gaster out- and he fully intended to do so. He spotted, through the glass sliding door, that Alphys and Undyne were sitting on the back porch. Hm... He was gonna have to send Undyne somewhere. This seemed like it was supposed to be a private conversation. He poured himself a cup of coffee before sliding the door open and stepping out onto the porch. Oh, wow, was the sun really that bright during the day? Huh. Either way, Undyne, and Alphys seemed shocked to see Sans out here, and this early in the morning, too. Shouldn't Sans be going to bed right about now?

"Uh, hey, punk," Undyne said. "You look... Uncharacteristically awake."

Sans would have rolled his eyes if he weren't on an important mission. "Yeah, I decided to stay up. I actually need to talk to Alphys about something." He paused. "Work-related."

Alphys blinked. "W-Work...?" She asked. "Sans, you don't work."

Sans glanced to her. "No, but I used to." He said. He knew that didn't really clarify anything, but, he couldn't just come out and say 'Hey, Alphys, you're a scientist. Can you help me make my partner exist again, pretty please with a cherry on top?'.  "I wanted to talk about some design ideas I have for a machine."

"Pfff, you guys can have your nerd talk in private," Undyne said. "I'm gonna go in and make breakfast." She stood up and walked over to behind Alphys' chair, wrapping her arms around the other woman's small frame before kissing her forehead. "You like your eggs scrambled, right, love?"

Alphys nodded, her face flushed bright red. "Y-yeah..." She stammered. Undyne went inside, closing the glass door behind her as Sans sat in the seat she had once occupied. He looked around for a moment to give Alphys a moment to collect herself. The surface was... Really pretty. He hadn't noticed in the few months they'd been here all like that. Even when he was outside (so basically never), his eyes were fixed on the ground. 

"It's really nice out here."

"Yeah." Alphys agreed. Her hands were wrapped tightly around her coffee mug. "You, um... Didn't actually want to talk about machines, did you...?"

Sans sighed a little. "Nah. I just said that to chase Undyne off. I gotta talk to you in private."

"What about?" She asked. Sans pulled his wallet out of his shorts pocket and pulled an old Polaroid out of the clear pouch in the back. He set it on the table in front of her. 

"You remember him, don't you...?" Sans asked. Alphys eyed the photo with an expression that Sans couldn't quite read. "I know you remember him. If only a little bit."

Alphys nodded slowly. "I-I remember him..." She said. "Only bits and pieces, but..."

"Do you know what happened to him?" Sans asked. Alphys shook her head. 

"No, just... He was there, and then he... W-wasn't." She said. "And now, almost no one even remembers he ever existed."

"You and me are the only ones who remember him, as far as I know." Sans put the picture back in his wallet. "But, I know where he is. Frisk showed me last night."

Alphys looked confused, but she didn't question it. "Where is he...?"

"Waterfall, behind a grey door," Sans replied. "Only problem is, since he got erased from time and space, he can't leave the room. The only reason he can even exist in that room is that it's not supposed to exist, either."

Alphys shut her mouth, as if she'd had something to say, but then decided against it. She continued to run her fingers over the smooth ceramic of her coffee mug. "I don't mean to be rude..." She prefaced. "B-But why are you telling  _me_ this?"

"Because you're a brilliant scientist, Alphys," Sans replied. "You're the only person who can help me get him out of that room."

"I don't know..." She said. "What if I fail, and something even worse happens, and then he's gone forever?"

Sans shook his head. "Trust me, you won't fail."

"Why is he so important to you? I-If you don't mind me asking, of course..." Alphys said. "I mean, I know we were all friends back then but were you two really that close? I can't remember..."

She couldn't remember because she'd never been told. The former sentry thought for a moment on how to reply to that. "He's..." He hesitated, looking into the kitchen where Undyne was using a fire extinguisher in a very desperate, panicked way. Looks like someone would have to pick up  _another_  fire extinguisher soon. He glanced back to Alphys. "He's as important to me as Undyne is to you."

"You guys were a thing?" Alphys asked. Sans nodded. The scientist's eyes downcast into her coffee cup as she thought. Her hands gripped the mug tighter. "Let me... See wh-what I can do."

_**\----------** _

It'd taken a while, but soon Alphys had convinced Undyne that she and Sans needed to go back to the Underground. "And you're just going to the lab, right?" She asked. 

"Y-yes, I need some of my equipment for something Sans is working on," Alphys said. "He's going with to carry the stuff."

Sans was determined to never need to actually lift anything if he could just teleport stuff, but he had even told Alphys that he was going with to carry stuff. She had no idea Sans' idea of carrying was pretty lazy. "Well, okay..." Undyne said. "But, be careful. I hear that place is falling apart now that no one lives there. Don't get, like... Crushed by a stalagmite, or somethin'."

"Actually, that's the formations on the fl-floor of a cavern. You're thinking of a stalactite, which hangs from the ceiling-"

"Just don't get killed by a falling rock," Undyne said bluntly. Alphys stopped talking. Undyne looked at Sans. "Seriously though, if something happens to her, I'm gonna hurt you."

"Knock yourself out," Sans said with a shrug. As far as he was concerned, if the only person he knew that could help him got crushed by a rock, Undyne was more than welcome to beat him up and put him out of his misery. "I don't plan on getting her killed, so just don't even worry."

"Yeah, you'd better not," Undyne said. She stirred the spaghetti in the pot angrily. "Get outta here, you dorks. You're burning daylight."

Welp, good enough. That sounded like permission. Sans and Alphys walked back onto the back porch, closing the door behind them. "How are we gonna get there?" Alphys asked. 

Sans grinned. "Don't worry. I know a shortcut." He said. "You might wanna hold on, or something, though." Confused, Alphys grabbed onto Sans' jacket. She blinked, and the floor disappeared underneath her. She would have screamed if she weren't literally paralyzed with fear, not to mention it was pretty debilitating to have floor under your feet one second and then not the next. Especially after getting used to having floor under her feet, since that was how it had been since, like, oh the day she was born. She blinked again, and they were just outside of Hotland, the long-abandoned place's sign no longer glowing. "Alright, we're here," Sans said, casually. "C'mon, let's go get the stuff we need."

It took a moment, but finally, the lab lights flickered on. The only problem was that they constantly flickered. Before they'd gotten to the surface, she had a very bad habit of leaving the light on. They walked through the mostly empty lab and got to the elevator that lead into the True Lab. "I need s-some of my medical supplies so that I can see what kind of state he's in," Alphys explained. "They're still downstairs. It was one of the few boxes I did leave behind."

"Isn't stuff like that kinda heavy?" Sans asked.

"That's why I left i-it behind..." She admitted with a nervous laugh. "Even Undyne didn't wanna carry that stuff up there." 

"Eh, should be easy to handle with me around," Sans said. "I can give the stuff a shortcut, too."

Walking through the True Lab felt disgustingly nostalgic. Sans had never really liked the lower level of the lab. It was dark, and the color scheme along with all the metallic machinery and tools around didn't help. Not to mention the Determination Extractor was unsettling, if only because the shape of it was familiar in a way that made red and gold dance across the backs of Sans' eyes and made his chest hurt. Oh, and it was a dark red skull in the lower level of an abandoned science research facility. That was pretty creepy, too. On the bright side, at least Alphys was just as, if not more creeped out by this place, so that made Sans feel a tiny bit better. Except not really. 

As soon as Alphys had found the correct box, Sans didn't even hesitate to get them out of there as quickly as he could. He, of course, teleported the box with them, and once they were on the other side of Waterfall, Alphys screamed a delayed panicked screech. "D-Don't do that without any warning...!" 

"Yeah, no, fuck that place," Sans said. "Gave me the heebie-jeebies."

Alphys huffed before looking around, trying to get her bearings. The telescope room. She'd passed this room hundreds of times while walking around with Undyne, back when they were only friends. "I-Is this near the door?" She asked. Sans nodded. 

"It might not show up the first time," Sans said. Made sense. Doors that weren't supposed to exist were probably able to disappear whenever they wanted. He stuck his head into the next room. "Yup, no door."

Alphys stood to her feet. "M-maybe we could both walk in and out of the room from both sides until the door shows up?" She suggested.

"So double team the door like bullies double teaming to shove a nerd in a locker," Sans said. Alphys frowned but didn't comment on his analogy.

"Yeah, something like that..." She muttered. She walked into the other room while Sans stayed in the room they had been in. "Now just walk in and out until it shows up, right?"

"Yeah."

It had taken fifteen of the most mind-numbing, repetitive minutes of Alphys' life (how the hell had Sans been fine with this? No sane person would ever try this hard to get a door to show up), but finally, she walked into the room, and suddenly it wasn't the telescope room. It was a corridor and there was a grey door. "I-it's here...!" She said. Sans darted in and skidded to a halt at the door next to her. 

"Okay, now just stay here," Sans said. He went into the telescope and dragged the box in. Alphys wondered why he couldn't just teleport the stuff in, but she kept her thoughts to herself again. Sans put a hand on the doorknob and turned, pushing the door open before dragging the box into the room. Alphys followed him. In the corner of the room sat a vaguely familiar figure. "Gast, look."

The figure,  _Gaster_ , looked up from his knees to see Sans and Alphys standing there. Alphys closed the door behind them as Gaster stood to his feet. He sure was taller than she remembered, but then again, she didn't remember him very well. "U-Um... Hi..." 

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Alphys," Gaster said. He held his hand out for her to shake, and she obliged if only a little hesitantly. "Do you remember me?"

"A little..." She said. "I'd say it's nice to see you again, too, but, um... This isn't really the best situation f-for you, huh?"

"No, not really. That's why I suggested to Sans that we acquire your assistance." The former Royal Scientist spoke stiffly and professionally. It was actually the most familiar thing about him, other than his face. 

"Okay, I'm just going to need to run some diagnostics, so I can... D-determine how your physical body and your magic has changed from this... Circumstance." She said unsurely. "I think that would be the best first course of action to get you out of here."

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Gaster asked. 

"Some help with the machinery would be n-nice."

The three worked in silence to get all the equipment up and running. Since there wasn't any electricity in this room, they were just going to have to use magic to power it. Sans insisted that he didn't really have a good grip on his magic, and probably wouldn't be of much help, so now purple and green magic ribboned their way around the equipment as the screens came to life. "There we go." Gaster said when they'd finished setting everything up. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"You can sit down now." Alphys said. "I can't, um, reach you when you're standing." 

"Join the club." Sans said. 

Gaster chuckled. "I come from a very tall family."

"I can tell." Alphys said. She sighed. "Alright, l-let's get this over with..."


	6. Five - Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Alphys come up with a solution. Gaster doesn't take too well to the idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I said I'd probably go on hiatus once I reached chapter five, but I honestly thought it would take longer than this to get here. I thought it was gonna get done at like, Thanksgiving time, but I apparently surprised myself. So, here's chapter five, and some good news; I'm not going on hiatus until Thanksgiving, then I'll be back January 2018. If I release any chapters in between Thanksgiving and January, please know that they're pre-written. I won't be writing any new content in that span of time, and if I do, it still won't be published until my hiatus is over. Thanks for understanding. 
> 
> With that said, please enjoy the chapter. UwU

It was nice, Gaster mused, to have so much noise in a room that was usually silent unless he was the one making noise. Hearing anything at all was a nice change from the silent, dark emptiness of where he'd come from. He'd named it, ironically, after the machine that had put him there in the first place. Sans and Alphys were talking about their observations as they awkwardly poked and prodded at him, and although it was a pretty uncomfortable situation, he felt more relaxed than he had for the past four and a half years. The room was filled with light and noise, and he was confident that he'd be free from this hell soon. 

"O-okay, so..." Alphys cleared her throat. "According to my file on your past medical checkup, you've g-gained some muscle mass, but you've lost a lot of weight." She flipped through papers. "You lost about a hundred pounds. Given your, um, situation, you haven't had any access to food, have you?"

"I didn't, no. But, I didn't need it, either." He said. "There's barely even an aging process where I was, much less a starving process."

"It can't... Feel good though, to not have anything in your stomach, right?" She asked. 

"Pain isn't a thing that comes very easily to me anymore." 

Alphys didn't know how to reply to that, so she averted her attention back to the facts in her hands. "There's only one more test to run, i-if you're okay with it."

"If you believe it is necessary, you may."

"Can I see your soul, Dr?"

Oh. Well, he hadn't expected or wanted that to be the thing. "Yes, of course." He replied. The blonde anxiously summoned what was left of her magic (that hadn't been used to power the machines) and tugged at Gaster's chest, summoning his soul. The purple heart that floated in front of the former Royal Scientist's chest was shattered, the pieces barely fitting together like a spread out puzzle. The usual glow that soul's produced was almost non-existent. 

Alphys' hands shook for a moment as she stared at the destroyed heart in horror. Sans seemed to be taking it worse than her. "O-Oh, jeez..."

Gaster felt like he was on a pedestal. This sucked. This actually sucked. If he could have, he would have thrown himself into the firey pit of the Core. "Technically, I don't exist." He said. "So, I guess that means I don't need a soul. Or, at least, the universe seemed to decide I don't need a soul." He tapped a finger to his chin. "Or, the blast of the explosion from the machine might have killed me before it erased me... Either way."

He was talking about this way too casually. Sans felt sick to his stomach. Alphys returned the damaged soul back to Gaster's body, sparing both of the men in the room a glance. Her gaze settled on Gaster. "Sans and I are gonna... Go t-talk in the hall for a moment. Put our thoughts together."

"Take all the time you need," Gaster said. Sans and Alphys walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. 

"What are we gonna do?" Alphys asked. "His condition is c-completely unstable. Even if we can find a way to get him out, he could die right away."

Sans didn't look okay, and though Alphys could tell he usually pent stuff like this up, he wasn't really able to do that right now. It was all way too overwhelming. "I don't know..." He said, beginning to pace a bit in the hallway. One of his hands gripped into his hair. He was clearly very stressed. "Isn't there anything we can do to fix his soul...? Some sorta medical thing?"

Alphys shuffled her feet on the floor. "There is, but... I would n-need someone to give up a piece of their soul, so I could-"

"I'll do it."

Alphys stared. "Are you sure...? It's pretty dangerous, and your health i-isn't the best..."

Sans took his wallet out again and showed Alphys his ID. "Look, it says 'Organ Donor'. This counts as an organ."

Very clearly under the picture of him on his ID was the words 'Organ Donor'.  The story checked out... Alphys gave him the card back. "I... Wouldn't, ethically, be able to do this unless it was also okay with him..."

"Then ask him," Sans said. Alphys sighed. They walked back into the room. 

As soon as Gaster heard the door open again, he once again lifted his head from his knees and looked up to them as he straightened his posture. "W-we've reached a decision, but, we need your permission as well," Alphys said. 

"What's the decision?" Gaster asked.

"Um... Well, as you know, souls are the culmination of our being. Humans and monsters both can't live without a soul." She tapped her fingers nervously on the file in her hand. "So, Sans has offered you a piece of his soul-"

"No."

Alphys paused, having been interrupted. "Well, that's really the only solution I can think of." She said. "You need a soul to live, and yours is in too bad of a condition to even try to m-mend it, so..."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Gaster said. He gave his very annoyed partner a glance. "But there's no way I'm gonna let Sans give me a piece of his soul."

"Why the hell not?" Sans asked.

"No offense, Sans, but you're not exactly the healthiest," Gaster said. "Even having a small piece of your soul gone would handicap you greatly. It's just not worth the risk."

"'Ve been living handicapped my entire life, Gaster," Sans said, gesturing to himself. "I'm fine. What's one more?"

"That is a very dangerous mindset to have," Gaster said. "And, anyway, there isn't any way of knowing that having a sliver of a soul will be enough to get me out of here. You reached that conclusion with very little research and desperation." 

"Well, the desperation isn't really something that can be helped for..." Sans muttered. 

"The answer is no. End of story."

"On what grounds?" Sans asked. "What makes you think it  _wouldn't_  work?"

"There's no evidence that leads me to believe lacking a soul is my biggest issue," Gaster said. He fixed his glasses. "Not to mention the physical cost on you. It isn't even worth trying."

Sans dragged his hands tiredly down his face as he tried his best not to snap. "You don't know that."

"Exactly. There's no way of knowing anything. I don't rush into things I won't know the outcome of."

"And that's how you're in this situation now, right?" Sans asked. "Was this a calculated decision, Gaster?"

"No, of course not," Gaster replied. He glanced at Sans, taking note how peeved he looked. "This was an accident."

"I'm not just gonna find you and then lose you again because you're stubborn," Sans said. "Just say yes to the damn procedure."

"No."

Sans looked at Alphys for a moment, who currently looked like a very uncomfortable third wheel. "Could you step into the hall for a moment, Al?" Alphys nodded a little and silently walked into the hall. She closed the door behind her. 

Sans kneeled in front of where the former scientist sat, Gaster, watching him with a stoic expression. "... Please...?"

"No."

"Gaster, please..." Sans shuffled closer. "I can't keep going like this on my own, Dings."

"It's very unhealthy to latch your emotional dependency on another person," Gaster replied. "You should be living your life for yourself, not me. You shouldn't even remember me-"

"But I do!" Even Sans didn't know where that outburst had come from, but it was probably the same thing causing the tears welling up in his eyes, too. Obviously, there were ninjas cutting onions somewhere. Gaster's expression remained neutral. 

"Would it really be worth it if you died somehow?" He asked. "It's just not manageable, Sans. The idea itself is just insanity."

"Please..." Sans repeated his voice breaking. "Please, Gaster, I need you..." 

It was only then, after he'd gone silent and pressed his head up against Gaster, that the other let his neutrality drop and traded in for concern. Sans' hands were gripped onto the hem of Gaster's sweater, fingers curled tightly into the fabric as his head rested on Gaster's knees. "Sans..."

"I can't keep living up there knowing you're still trapped down here..." Sans was basically sobbing now, and Gaster couldn't help but feel responsible. 

"Sans, I would give anything to go up there with you."

"No, you wouldn't," Sans said. "If you would give anything, you'd just let me do this for you..."

"I meant anything at my expense, not yours." He tucked a strand of blue and orange hair behind Sans' ear. "I've got nothing to lose. I've already lost everything. If something happened to you, Papyrus would be heartbroken..."

Sans kept crying, and it just made Gaster feel even worse. "It's not fair..."

"Sans..." He cupped the other's face in his hand, which made Sans look up at him. How could he say no to that face...? Gaster sighed, having been defeated. "Okay... We'll go through with it." The smaller male hugged him so quickly that Gaster almost toppled over. The scientist wrapped his arms around him. Lord, help him...

_**\-----** _

As it turned out, surgery was one of those things Sans was scared of, along with clowns, religious people, thunder, the government, and rollercoasters. The surgery wasn't even happening today, and still, he was terrified. But, it would be worth it if Gaster was able to come to the surface with him, right?

Sans and Alphys were currently explaining the situation as best as they could to Papyrus and Undyne. By extension, Mettaton. Whenever Mettaton wasn't out, doing whatever it is that a Mettaton does, he was basically glued to Papyrus' hip, and the same was true for Papyrus to Mettaton. They were absolutely inseparable, and it was annoying. "So, what you're telling me, is that you were with the Royal Scientist before Alphys."

"Tell him what he's won," Sans muttered. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm telling you."

Mettaton looked him up and down with a raised brow. "You're not exactly dating material. Especially not for someone as important as the Royal Scientist."

"Told myself the same thing, moving on."

"Mettaton, don't be rude," Papyrus said. He looked at his older brother. "I think it's great that you were with someone and that you found him again, brother. One question, though."

"Why don't you remember him?" Sans asked. Papyrus nodded. Sans shrugged. "Hell if I know. As far as I know, me and Al are the only ones who remember him."

"So, the surgery you're going to be getting is to give him a piece of your soul so he can come out of that room?" Undyne asked. 

Alphys nodded. "On S-Saturday. It would have been sooner, but that's the next time I have the day off."

Right, Alphys worked at a library on the weekdays. Sans had been pent up in his room for so long that he'd forgotten what most of the people in the room did for a living. He remembered Toriel was a teacher, and Papyrus walked dogs in his spare time and did a bit of babysitting (which was a lot like getting your horse to watch your cat, Papyrus was only able to dial the phone a tiny bit faster than most kids and even sometimes he got mixed up because how was he supposed to call 9-1-1 if there was no eleven button?), but that was about all he remembered. "I don't work Saturday, either," Papyrus said. "But, even if I did, I'd have to cancel."

Of course Papyrus would want to be there. "I'm off, too," Undyne said. Did these people have nowhere better to be than a surgery on a Saturday? 

"Uh, thanks, guys." Sans rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess there's only six days between then and now, huh?"

"Yup!" Papyrus said. He grinned. "You must be so excited!"

Excited, no, though the butterflies in his stomach could have been confused for excitement if it weren't also for the fact that his heart was beating out of his chest and his mind was racing a million miles a minute. Terrified, yeah. That was definitely a better word for it. "'M stoked. Couldn't be happier."

To be fair, even through his terror, Sans definitely couldn't have been happier. And the fact that he couldn't have been happier was actually the thing that helped him drift to sleep that night much quicker than he would have before. 


	7. Six - Lectures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Undyne give Sans a hard time about his health, and these conversations will inspire him later to actually do something about it.

Sans' room, even during the day, was usually dark. The only thing lighting up the four walls around him was a small lamp on the table beside his bed. Living on the surface was just as cramped and as dark as living in the Underground had been, which was honestly what he'd been going for when he asked Papyrus to grab him blackout curtains so that the sunlight couldn't find its way into his room. Justified it with the fact that his window was on the east side of the room, so whenever the sun rose, it would go in his eyes. Papyrus had given him a look, something between disbelief and concern, but had carried out his older brother's wishes anyway. 

It was Monday which meant there were only five more days until the surgery. That being said, as much as he wanted to go see Gaster, he couldn't really pull himself out of bed. His limbs felt numb like they weren't even attached to his body, or like they were accessories instead of ligaments. His head felt too heavy to even lift from his pillow, and despite only having woke up an hour ago, he was so tired. His back ached, and his head was throbbing. Everything hurt and felt numb at the same time. Why was he so out of it...? Shouldn't he be happy? In a few days, it'd be like Gaster never even disappeared in the first place. Frisk had destroyed their reset button, so even if they wanted to reset, they couldn't. Nothing bad was happening, and yet he was still so miserable. He didn't understand, and it just made the headache worse, which just made him even more tired. It was a vicious loop. 

He was only pulled out of the loop when someone knocked on his door. He immediately recognized it as Papyrus' knock. Lethargically, he somehow managed to turn in bed so that he was facing the door "Yeah...?" 

"Do you mind if I come in?" Papyrus said from the other side of the door. "I'd like to talk to you."

Oh, this couldn't be good. Sans sighed quietly as he managed to sit up in bed. "Yeah." He said. Papyrus swung the door open, closing it behind him as he walked further into the room with a wash basket. He was wearing an old tee shirt with a wolf on the front of it and pajama bottoms. The shirt had holes in it where moths had eaten at it. 

"It's laundry day." He said. "I'm just gonna pick your stuff up and get it washed if you don't mind."

"Knock yourself out," Sans said. Papyrus began picking the discarded articles of clothing on the floor and putting them in the wash basket as he went. 

"How long have you been awake?" Papyrus asked. 

"About two hours," Sans replied.  

Papyrus sighed a little as he continued what he was doing. "It's not healthy to stay in bed like that, Sans."  
  
And here came that lecture again. His brother must have given him this lecture at least once a month, sometimes more. "Yeah, I know." He said. "And it's not healthy to sleep all day, and it's not healthy to stay inside all the time, and it's not healthy to eat an entire bucket of ice cream all by myself. You've said."

"You need to take better care of yourself," Papyrus said, basically continuing his thought as if he hadn't even heard Sans, or was ignoring him. "You've been walking on eggshells for years."

 _Yeah, more than you'd think_ , Sans thought. He sighed. "Papyrus, just get to the point."

Papyrus sat the washbasket down on the floor and looked at his brother. "That  _is_  the point." He said. "I'm being serious, Sans. You're going to have someone else in your life again soon, and if you don't take care of yourself, he's going to be just as worried about you as I am. It's not fair to make people worry like that, and it's not fair to you that you don't take care of yourself."

Sans would have rolled his eyes if it weren't for the fact that his brother was speaking from a place of worry and love. He only wanted his brother's health to get better after all. That being said, he didn't really know how to reply. He struggled with his words for a moment. "No promises." He said with a shrug. "Old habits die hard, ya know?"

Papyrus gave him a look, and this time it seemed to be mixed with concern and frustration. "Sans, I'm being serious." He said. "You need to-"

"Take care of myself, yeah, I know, Papyrus." Sans finished his brother's sentence for him. "Just get off my back, please. I dunno what you expect me to do." 

Papyrus sat on the bed next to his brother as he thought of the next words to say. "I... Found something of yours in the kids' room while cleaning up yesterday."

Sans raised a brow. "What'd you find...?" 

His brother stood, and picked something up from out of the wash basket that had been buried under all the clothes. Sans could have sworn he felt his heart stop when Papyrus held it up into view. "This." He said. It was his notebook. "I didn't know you still had this."

"Oh, uh..." Sans cleared his throat. "You didn't read it, did you...?"

Papyrus sat the notebook down onto Sans' bed as he sat on it again, wringing his hands together. "Well, I kind of wanted to know what you ended up using it for..." He said. "So, I might have read a few pages."

Sans was angry. Not at Papyrus, but at whichever kid had taken that from his room, and himself for not hiding it very well. "Is that why you're bringing this health stuff up again? 'Cuz I haven't written in that thing for like, almost two years, so-"

"Sans, you're doing even worse now than you were then." Papyrus interrupted. "It's very concerning, and even Undyne's worried. She said I needed to check up on you."

"With all due respect, I think my health is my own business."

"It is your business," Papyrus said. "I never said it was anyone else's business. I'm just saying that you need to take better care of yourself because that" He pointed at the notebook. "Is not fine, and you're even worse now than you were then."

What was the word to describe this? Embarrassment? No, that was too mellow. It was closer to mortification. Yeah, that was better. He was mortified his brother had ever read that book. That was supposed to be where he could spill his guts without anyone else knowing. There were secrets in there, delicate information, personal thoughts, feelings. Just about every reoccurring negative thought he'd ever had was in that book, and Papyrus had seen it all. He felt exposed... "It doesn't matter." He finally said. "I'll have Gaster back in a few days, and I'm sure he'll keep me in line whether I like it or not. So, just cool it, okay...?" 

Papyrus stood. "I really hope so." He said. He picked the washbasket up again and made his way over to the door. He looked at Sans again. "You know I love you, right, brother...?"

Sans nodded a little, eyes downcast at the notebook on his bed. "I love you too, Papyrus."

"Just think about what I said, please." He exited the room, closing the door behind him. 

_**\----------** _

There was another knock at his door, and Sans wanted nothing more to roll under his bed and hide there so people would leave him alone. Unfortunately, the knock was pretty loud, so it was either Undyne or the police. Hiding would do him no good in either situation. Didn't she have work today...? "Who and what?" He called out tiredly.

"It's just me," Undyne said from the other side of the door. "Can I talk to you?"

What was it with everyone wanting to talk to him today? Couldn't he just fester in peace? Was there no sacredness left on this earth where a man could just lie in bed all day because he was too tired to get up? He sat back up in his bed, which honestly felt like a walk of shame. "Yeah, sure." He said with an exasperated sigh. "Come on in."

She opened the door just a little harder than she meant to, and it bounced off the wall to spite her. She didn't walk very far into the room, just a bit past the doorway and then closed (slammed) the door behind her. Classic Undyne. "Paps had a talk with you earlier, right?" She asked.

Sans nodded. "What, is it your turn to give me a lecture."

"Yup." She replied bluntly. She crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight onto one leg. "Your brother's right, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Sans said. "Are you just gonna repeat everything he said, or do you have something I haven't heard a million times over now?"

The red-head pulled what seemed to be a card out of her jacket pocket and walked over to the edge of Sans' bed. "I'm not gonna get on your case like your brother." She said. "But, really, you should take better care of yourself. We care about you, and we're just trying to help." She handed him the card, and he kept looking at her. "And that's all I had to say. Have a good rest of the night." With that, she left the room. 

Sans looked down at the card after she closed the door behind her. It had a phone number and a name on it. 'Dr. Martha Thomas'. In gold print above the name was another name. 'Colorado Crisis Center'. Oh.  _Oh_ , that... That was a therapy building. Like, talk therapy. Like, sit in a room with a stranger and tell them how you feel so they can tell you what's wrong with you type therapy. Wow, okay, he didn't know how to feel about that. Usually, his misery went unnoticed. Or, rather, he pretended to be normal and everyone pretended with him. This was the first timeline anything like this had happened. He wasn't used to people not pretending along with him that everything was fine. 

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Unpredictability. It was such a familiar and sorely missed concept that he'd forgotten that that was how life was supposed to be. Unpredictable, wild, short. Fun. Tragic. He'd been caught in a loop for so long that he'd known every step, every move, every waking moment was scripted and replayed over and over like a horrible song on the radio. But now? Gaster had been found. His family wasn't pretending anymore. They were trying to help him. Most importantly, time was going forward, and there wasn't any possible way anything could send him back to that unforgiving loop. 

A grin broke out on his face. Not his usual pretend grin, but an actual, honest to god smile. He'd never felt so many things at once. Relief, fear, happiness. He was so scared, and it felt great! Being scared was so much better than being somewhere between eternally terrified and semi permanently numb, and being happy was something he hadn't had the luxury of for so long. Things were finally looking up, weren't they? Nothing else could go wrong. He was going to get Gaster back, and he was going to have unpredictability for the rest of his life. He could have jumped for joy if he wasn't sitting. 

With a sigh, Sans put the card in the drawer of his bedside table. He probably wasn't ever going to need it, but you could never be too safe, right? With a burning warmth that radiated through his soul, Sans stood and put his slippers. Time to get up for the day. If anyone else would have been in the room, they would have blinked, and he would have been gone. Walking from the telescope room into the next, he found himself in the newly familiar corridor with the grey door. 


	8. Seven - See, it's Fine, You'll Just Be Asleep The Entire Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sans has the procedure so that he can give Gaster a piece of his soul so Gaster can leave the grey room and rejoin society.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a scene in here where Sans is being a goddamn idiot because he's high as a giraffe's nuts on morphine, so that was fun as fuck to write. Wasn't fun to research tho. That shit's gonna be forever stuck in my search history. I'd be scared of my parents disowning me, but my mother already calls me an 'it' (not joking at all, wish I was), so it's too late for that.

Papyrus absolutely hates the way his older brother's hands tremor as he makes himself a cup of coffee. He'd blame the caffeine if it weren't for the fact that it was his first cup of coffee for the day. Come to think of it, Sans had never really been a coffee person, but as he takes a sip from the hot beverage, he seems to calm down, even if only by a little bit. His brother's terrified, no doubt about it. To be fair, Papyrus was pretty scared, too. He was really glad he was going to be able to be there for Sans today since this Gaster character couldn't because Alphys was performing the surgery in the lab. She said it'd be best to do Sans' procedure there instead of the grey room because the lab had electricity, which was a more controlled way to use the machinery than magic. She'd have to do Gaster's procedure in the grey room, but that was probably because she didn't really have a choice. Gaster couldn't leave the room. 

"Um, brother, are you okay?" Papyrus asks. 

"Yeah, of course. Why do you ask?"

Papyrus points to what Sans is doing. "You're sliding the toaster thingy back down, and you've already burned it."

Sans looks and realizes Papyrus is right. The bread that was once a pale brown is now black, and the toaster is smoking a little. "Oh, heh." He chuckles nervously and pulls the burnt toast out of the toaster before throwing it in the trash. It wasn't consumable anymore. Just like Undyne's cooking. "Guess I'm a bit distracted. Whoops."

Sans is trying to cover up his fear with his usual antics, and Papyrus can't help but sigh and shake his head. Old habits really did die hard, he supposed. Sans leaned back against the counter and drank his coffee quietly. "You know Alphys isn't going to screw it up, right...?" He asked. "She's very good at this kind of stuff."

It was true. Besides her degree in engineering and robotics, Alphys had gone back to school after Gaster disappeared for a medical course. She passed all her classes with flying colors, the best student there, in all the honors classes. She graduated two years early, even. Sans didn't doubt Alphys' skills, even if Alphys did. "I'm not scared of Alphys screwing up." He said. "I'm scared of something else going wrong."

"Like what?" Papyrus asked.

"Well, for one, there's always the possibility this won't even work. That Gaster was right, and he's just stuck there. Then, there's the possibility of my fucked up body fucking me over."

"Well, this is why you should take care of yourself," Papyrus said. Sans wanted to roll his eyes, but Papyrus was right. Something like this was exactly why he shouldn't have given up and let his health go to shit. What if for some reason, Papyrus needed a procedure like this? Sans wasn't going to be of much help if his soul was barely even supporting him. Which was exactly what he was afraid of right now. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Paps," Sans said. He finished off his cup of coffee and put the cup in the sink. 

"I'm sure it'll go fine," Papyrus said. "Worst comes to worst, maybe there's some other solution?"

Worst came to worst, Sans would be dead by the end of the day, and Gaster would be trapped in that room for the rest of his life. He didn't say that to Papyrus, of course. "Yeah, sure."

Papyrus patted his older brother's back in what he hoped was an assuring way. "You'll do fine, brother."

"I sure hope you're right."

The walk through the lower lab was hell. Almost everyone who was with was scared of this place, and for good reason, if what they'd heard about Alphys' experiments was right. But, it needed to be done. Once they reached the testing room they'd be using for the surgery, Alphys pulled out a key ring and muttered something to herself as she unlocked one of the doors. The door swung open after she unlocked it, and she looked at Papyrus and Undyne. "You t-two will need to stay out here, if that's okay."

Papyrus didn't seem okay with that, but he nodded slowly anyway. "Yeah, that's fine," Undyne said. "I don't think I'd wanna watch something like this. Kinda scary sounding."

She got elbowed by Papyrus as Sans paled a little. Great, a police officer who used to be the Captain of the Royal Guard was scared of the procedure he was getting. He was so boned. Pun not intended. He was so fucking screwed. He was going to die. This is how he died. In a dank basement while getting a piece of his soul chopped off so his nonexistent boyfriend could exist. "There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of, brother," Papyrus said. "It's a standard procedure. I'm sure Dr. Alphys has performed it many times and knows what she's doing."

Alphys kept her thoughts to herself. It probably wouldn't help anyone if she admitted that she'd only done this two other times. "Can Pap come in until the surgery starts...?" Sans asked. 

"U-um, yeah, that's fine," Alphys replied. "He'll have to leave after you go to sleep."

"Excuse me, what?"

She looked at Sans. "Y-you're gonna be put under...? I can't do it while you're awake. It's much too p-painful."

Sans wanted to die. Jesus, take the fucking wheel. "Oh, uh... Okay."

"Sans, you like being asleep." Papyrus tried to reason. "It'll be just like a nap! Except when you wake up, you won't be all there." Now it was Undyne's turn to give Papyrus a sharp nudge. Papyrus looked at her with a scowl, and she gave him a 'you're not helping' look. He looked back at his brother with a grin, and Sans gave a nervous smile before it dropped. 

"Alright..." Sans muttered. "Let's get this over with"

Sans always liked dresses, so when he heard he was gonna have to put on a gown, he was definitely confused as to why but felt it would at least be some familiar territory. Nnnnnope. The kind of gown Alphys had been talking about was a hospital gown. It was a pale green color and it tied off in the back, and he had to get Papyrus to help him with the strings. "Why do I have to wear this...?" He asked Alphys as Papyrus busied himself with tying the strings. 

"S-sanitation reasons," Alphys answered. Sans frowned. In the year he'd worked at the lab, he and Gaster took very few sanitation precautions. Gaster, a professional, had not minded whether or not things were sanitary. And he worked with rats. Why did Alphys care when all she was going to do was cut off a tiny chunk of his soul? He doesn't let the thought process run much further than that. After all, he's not gonna be in this gown for too long. This moment would be a speck in the grand scheme of things. Still, he couldn't shake some weird feeling of de ja vu being in this ugly looking gown, and he had a feeling it was coming from the same place as his inexplicable fear of Asgore.

He just felt like, in another universe, something really bad had happened. How that involved Asgore or this stupid gown, he had no idea. But still, it didn't feel safe.  

"It's all tied," Papyrus said. His usual enthusiasm seemed to be lacking. 

Alphys gestured to a bed in the room. "Sans, please l-lie down over there while I get all the equipment I'll need." She said. Sans listened and went over to the bed, lying down and resting his head on the pillow. He was pretty sure if he wasn't terrified right now, that he probably could have fallen asleep right then and there. Papyrus walked over to stand next to the side of the bed, and Sans looked up at him. 

"Don't worry," Papyrus said. "You're gonna be okay, Sans."

"Thanks, Pap." The words from his brother's mouth honestly did make him feel a tiny bit better. Only a tiny bit, but better than being scared shitless. Sans would take mildly terrified over about to piss myself levels of scared any day. 

Alphys soon came back with everything she needed, and she started setting it up before washing her hands and putting gloves on. Jeez. Alphys was some sort of clean freak, huh? There was absolutely nothing wrong with touching a soul with your bare hands. Souls weren't like most organs, they were made of magic, not muscle and arteries and shit. Thusfore, even if the hands were dirty when they touched the soul, there's no consequence. Touching a person's soul without their consent was pretty fucked, but Alphys already had consent, given the fact that Sans had asked her to do this in the first place. These sanitary precautions were nothing short of annoying. "O-Okay..." Alphys said. "Ready when you are."

Sans instinctively grabbed his brother's hand, and Papyrus squeezed Sans' hand in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "Ready as I can be," Sans said. Alphys put a weird mask over his face. 

"Now just, breathe n-normally, and count to ten." She instructed. 

Sans obliged, though he counted in his head. He was at about three when his head started feeling fuzzy... Or was he at four...? Did it really matter? Both of those numbers... Were.. He didn't get to finish the thought, since his eyelids felt heavy, and he let them close, letting unconsciousness take him over. Papyrus felt his brother's hand go limp as Sans passed out. 

_**\----------** _

Papyrus was always a restless person, but Undyne couldn't ever remember it being this bad. But, then again, Papyrus wasn't an idiot. He was well aware of how dangerous this was, especially for someone as... Immunely inept as Sans. Sans wasn't exactly the healthiest. The former sentry probably got sick eight or nine times a year, and it was honestly a miracle he hadn't developed some horrible illness from lack of sunlight. There had been artificial sunlight in the Underground that simulated real sunlight in the way that it provided vitamin D. Sans used to be outside in the Underground all the time because of his sentry job. In the almost entire year they'd been on the surface, she had seen Sans go outside once onto the back porch. That one time. 

"Papyrus, pacing just works you up more," Undyne said. "Sit down, I'm sure he's fine."

"But what if he's not?" Papyrus asked. 

"Then that sucks...? Pacing isn't gonna help him, dude."

Papyrus continued to pace, anyway. She couldn't really blame him all like that. He was just worried, had too much energy and nothing to do with it. It would be like if a yo-yo was a sentient being, and then a person wound the yo-yo up all the way just to leave it in their pocket. Papyrus was the yo-yo, and he didn't like sitting in a pocket. He needed to move. He'd always been like this, and it followed him into adulthood. Papyrus had a hard time keeping still. 

The door to the room Sans and Alphys were in opened, and Papyrus immediately jerked his head to look at the small blonde. "Is he okay? He's not dead, right?"

"N-No, Sans is fine." She answered. She took her gloves off. "He's still asleep, for now. When he wakes up, he's gonna be a little loopy. I have him h-hooked up to a morphine drip."

"How long are you gonna have to keep him drugged up?" Undyne asked. 

"Probably for the rest of the day, and maybe a bit of tomorrow if he's still experiencing any pain," Alphys replied. She looked at Papyrus. "Would you like to go in and wait f-for your brother to wake up?"

Papyrus nodded. "Yes, please." Alphys stepped to the side and Papyrus walked into the room. 

_**\-----** _

His head felt light like it weighed nothing. "My arm is itchy..." He slurred. He began to scratch his arms. Undyne was recording him. Huh... Wonder why. 

"You said that five times already, Sans," Papyrus said. 

"'Cuz is true," Sans replied. The room spun a little and he giggled. Undyne held back snickers. 

"Undyne, I would appreciate it if you didn't record my brother being loopy from medication, please and thank you."

"Are you kidding me?" Undyne said. "I'm  _totally_  showing this to his boyfriend."

Sans looked at the camera and waved tiredly. "Hiiiii..."

Papyrus covered his face. This was too much. Sans was too much, sometimes. "How much medicine do you have him on, Alphys?"

"Ah, don't even bother asking," Undyne said. "She's just gonna give you a bunch of numbers and letters next to each other, even though letters and numbers shouldn't mix."

"Numbers gotta stop fuckin' the alphabet," Sans said. He continued to itch his arm. Papyrus was pretty sure that if his brother didn't stop scratching, he was going to scratch open one of those cuts on his arm-

Wait, cuts on his brother's arm? He took his brother's arm from him and the other made a half-hearted whine as if he meant to complain more, but just couldn't find the energy as his head flopped onto his shoulder. "What're you doin', Papy?" Sans asked. He gave a light tug on his arm since that was all he was capable of doing. "Stoooop..."

Undyne decided to turn off the camera. "What are these from, Sans?"

"A knife..." Sans answered. 

"Why?"

"Nunna your beeswax," Sans answered. "Leggo'a me." His brother's words were slurring worse and worse, and Papyrus had a feeling dealing with Sans while he was high on morphine was probably not the best use of his time. He let his brother have his arm back and Sans went back to scratching it as he giggled tiredly. Papyrus sighed. This was going to be an interesting rest of the day...

Sans had insisted on going with all the way to Waterfall for Gaster's procedure, even as Papyrus reminded Sans he could barely lift his head, much less walk. Undyne ended up carrying him on her back, and barely even halfway to where the corridor was, Sans had passed out from exhaustion. He hadn't slept much last night. It wasn't like Undyne minded, though. Sans, although heavy for most people (about a hundred eighty pounds of lazy regret), was basically nothing to her. She could bench press seven ninety pound children! This was easy peasy!

As they passed the telescope room, they walked into a corridor Papyrus and Undyne had never seen before."So, this is it?" Undyne asked as they stopped at the grey door. "The old Royal Scientist is in here?"

"Y-yeah," Alphys answered. Papyrus spared his brother a look from where he slept on Undyne's back before looking at the door again. 

"Well..." Papyrus said. He put his hand on the doorknob. "Here goes nothing..."


	9. Eight - Hello Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans wakes up and finds that, for the first time in four and a half years, there's someone sleeping next to him.

Sans wasn't really used to waking up with the sun in his eyes, and after lying there for a moment, he remembered the last time he'd been awake and aware of his surroundings, he'd been lying in a bed in the True Lab. Needless to say, sunlight was a bit disorientating when the last thing you remembered was darkness. 

Wait, sunlight meant they were on the surface again. Turning his head to look to the side, he was pleasantly surprised to see a still, slow breathing form next to him underneath the too familiar blanket. He was in his room. Gaster was next to him. The procedure had worked. 

Sans sat up slowly, careful not to wake the sleeping man next to him. Gaster had always been a light sleeper. Sometimes, when he had gotten up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, even just sitting up in bed woke him up. Right now, however, it seemed the former scientist was content to keep on snoozing. Made sense. Gaster's procedure must have happened at least an hour or two after his own, so he was still probably exhausted from it. Speaking of which, what was even the time...? Sans picked up his phone where he'd left it on his bedside table before they'd gone Underground. Tuesday, September 5th, 2017. 5:00 PM.

Well, shit. He'd slept the rest of Sunday and the entirety of Monday away. Which meant Gaster had probably done the same. He looked at his partner for a moment. He had his hair in his face... Cute. There was a quiet knock on the door, and his head snapped to look at it before it opened slowly. Papyrus poked his head in. 

"Oh, Sans, you're awake," Papyrus said. He was unusually quiet, and Sans had a feeling it had to do with the fact that Gaster was still asleep. Sans nodded in reply as his younger brother walked in with a small tray. "I brought you two some food, though, I wasn't sure if either of you were awake. You slept the entirety of yesterday."

"Thanks, Pap," Sans replied. Papyrus set the tray on the bed in front of his older brother. Gaster stirred, lifting his head from the pillow groggily. He rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust his poor eyesight to the blurry forms in the room with him. "Mornin', sleeping beauty."

Gaster sat up, still rubbing his eyes. Papyrus grabbed Gaster's glasses from the bedside table and handed them to him. Gaster put them on, blinking as his vision adjusted, yawning. "Morning..."

"Technically afternoon," Papyrus said. He walked over to the door and walked out, peaking his head in again. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Thanks for the food, bro," Sans said. 

"You're welcome, brother," Papyrus said. "Will you guys be down for dinner later? I'm making spaghetti!"

"Sure thing, Pap."

Papyrus waved a little before pulling his head out of the doorway, closing the door behind him. Sans looked at Gaster, who was looking around the room. Where to even start...? Neither knew. It'd been so long. Where could either of them even begin to tell what they'd done in the four and a half years since they'd been able to wake up in bed next to each other? Sans fidgeted a bit with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He cleared his throat, and Gaster looked at him. "I... Was wrong to doubt you that this would work." Gaster said.

"There wasn't any way of knowing that this would work. You were right to have doubts." Sans replied. "Even I kinda doubted it a little. I just figured it was worth a shot... That, even if it didn't work, at least we could say we tried, right...?" Gaster only nodded in reply. "I don't really get to say 'I tried' very often..." Sans added with a nervous chuckle.

"I know."

There was silence between them both, and neither could tell if it was comfortable or tense. Maybe a mix of both? The silence came from tension, moreso from neither of them knowing what to say, but it was just so nice to be in each others presence, even if there was tension. Sans shifted on the bed, leaning into Gaster's chest as the older man wrapped his arms around him. He took a shaky breath. "I'm glad it worked."

Gaster tilted Sans' chin up with his thumb. "I'm so sorry, Sans..." He cupped Sans' face in his hand and the former sentry leaned into the touch. 

"It's okay..." Sans said. "You're here now... That's all that really matters."

_**\----------** _

The descent down the stairs was, for lack of a better word, nerve-wracking. Gaster couldn't quite pinpoint why, but it probably had to do with the fact that there were, as far as he knew, a lot of people on the first floor. Talking to people was kind of an issue he'd been working on his entire life, and the whole four-year isolation thing probably didn't help. So, as he followed Sans down the stairs, he dreaded it. He wished he and Sans could have just stayed pent up in Sans' room, but Sans already told Papyrus that they'd be down for dinner. Almost all eyes were on the pair as they got to the bottom of the steps, and the former scientist braced himself for social interaction. 

"Well, look who's up," Undyne said. She looked at Gaster. "Did you have to pull him out of bed, or something?" 

Gaster shook his head. 'He came down here on his own accord.' His hands moved smoothly as he signed his reply. Undyne looked confused. 

"Uh, sorry, but I don't know what you just said." She said. "I haven't learned that much sign language." 

Gaster was going to sign an apology but then decided against it. Sans sat at the table next to the others and Gaster sat in the empty seat beside him, avoiding eye contact, but definitely not missing the way the former queen looked at him. Familiarity, it seemed, was dawning on her. She didn't say anything about it though. Undyne and Papyrus were giving him similar looks, and no one really mentioned the elephant in the room as they all ate and the children talked about their day at school. 

The former scientist had been poking at his plate of spaghetti for a little under ten minutes before Papyrus finally spoke. "Um, Dr. Gaster, sir? Are you not hungry?"

'Not really, no.' The scientist signed. His hands moved smoothly as he replied. To his relief, Papyrus knew sign language. 

"Oh, well, okay," Papyrus replied. "Would you like for me to put it in the microwave so you can heat it up later?"

'Yes, please.' Gaster signed. Papyrus picked up the plate in front of the former Royal Scientist and walked into the kitchen, putting it in the microwave before walking back in and sitting in his seat as he tried to give Gaster a patient smile. 

"It is nice to see you again, Gaster," Toriel finally said. 

'It's good to see you, too, your Majesty.'

Toriel laughed. "No need to call me that, I stopped being queen years ago."

'Apologies,' He signed.

Sans finished his food and stood, pushing his chair in. Papyrus went to pick up the plate on the table, but Sans beat him to it, and Papyrus seemed surprised as Sans took his own plate out to the kitchen. He sat back in his seat, and Gaster wondered for a moment if the particularly feminine looking man next to him would have to close his jaw for him before he caught flies. Sans walked back in, and the former scientist stood. "You wanna go back upstairs, Gast?" He asked. Gaster nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

It took Gaster a moment, but soon he remembered how to get to Sans' room (Sans' room? Both of their room? Was this the same as before where it went from Sans' room to Sans' and Gaster's room? He couldn't be sure). He opened the door and stepped in, and Sans walked in behind him, closing the door behind himself. "Your family sure is... Big." Gaster said. 

"Eh, some of them don't really count as family," Sans said. "Specifically, Mettaton and the kid."

Right, Mettaton. Gaster had forgotten all about him. The last time he'd really seen Mettaton was when he'd been watching his screen in the void, and before that, it was a screen in Sans' living room. Mettaton had only been about fourteen when Gaster had disappeared. He was a teen star. The only teen star in the Underground. The only star in the Underground, period. That was why they'd only gotten like three channels in the Underground. "The kid has a name, you know."

"I know," Sans said. He shrugged. 

The former scientist tried his hardest to read the dark expression on his partner's face and found it was easy to get answers when you had access to all of them. This mind-reading thing could finally come in handy, it seemed.  "You really don't like Frisk, do you?"

"What gave you that idea?" Sans asked.

"Just a hunch," Gaster said. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Sans shuffled his slipper-clad feet against the floor. "Okay, so maybe I have a bit of  _distaste_  for Frisk."

"'Distaste' seems to be an understatement."

Sans struggled to find words. "I don't really wanna talk about this right now. I have my reasons for not liking them."

Gaster sighed. It seemed Sans was about as emotionally reserved now as he was. He had to wonder what had happened to make Sans like that. He'd always been so upfront before. He changed the topic. "So, what now?"

Sans rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before smiling up at Gaster. "I dunno...Can we just talk?" Just talking honestly felt like the best thing ever right now, and Gaster felt strangely relieved that Sans wanted to talk. The pair sat on the bed and sat in silence for a moment or two. 

"I feel like I owe you an explanation," Gaster said. 

"You don't owe me anything." Sans objected. "It would be nice to have some details, though..."

"I have no idea why the machine did what it did, but the long and the short of it is that I fell into the machine while cleaning," Gaster said. "The tank somehow sprung a leak, and there was a giant puddle of oil on the floor. I managed to clean most of it up, but the floor was still slippery, and the door was open."

"So, then you fell it, knocked the button on the outside on your way in, managed to lock yourself in there, and couldn't turn it off," Sans said. It was a statement, not a question. Gaster nodded before Sans ran a thumb over the small scar on his older partner's forehead. "Is that what this is from?" Gaster nodded again. "Where did you even go...?"

The former scientist twiddled his thumbs. "Well, it was a place that deserved the name that we called the machine that put me there in the first place, so that's just what I called it. The Void."

"What was it like...?"

"Dark..." Gaster said. "Quiet. Could have heard a pin drop, if there was a floor for it to drop. Empty. Infinite. Cold."

"Oh." Sans shifted where he sat. "Yeah, that sounds like a Void, alright. Fitting name."

"It was almost like space," Gaster said. "It might have been a nicer experience if I weren't the only one there."

Sans swallowed, seemingly put off at the description of Gaster's personal hell. "I feel like any moment, I'll wake up, and this will all have been a dream, and you'll still be gone." He said. "Kinda makes it hard to be happy you're back."

"Understandable," Gaster replied. The older man took his partner's small hands in his own bandaged ones, and Sans looked up from where his gaze had been fixed on the floor. He held Gaster's hands back, and the former scientist brushed the other's hair out of his face. He smiled a little. "You need a haircut."

Sans smiled back and laughed a little. "Yeah." He agreed. 

Gaster leaned forward, moving his hands to his partner's waist as he kissed him. Sans kissed back, wrapping his arms around Gaster's neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW he told Sans he needed a haircut because he told him that in chapter three of the last book. That was a throwback.


	10. Nine - The Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel and Papyrus somehow manage to convince Sans and Gaster to go experience the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xbLuSLqCh0
> 
> That song gives me mad Sanster vibes, but I chose to link the piano version because it's better for with reading than the original. The original song is Vanilla Twilight by Owl City. I suggest giving it a listen, it really does seem like a Sans and Gaster song to me.

Sans and Gaster were both starting to dread getting out of bed this morning. 

Papyrus and Toriel had somehow,  _somehow_  convinced the pair to go run errands with them. Said it would do them both some good to get out and get some sunlight, stretch their legs, get some air. Sans had no idea how he'd let himself get roped into this, but at least, if nothing else, he wasn't the only one suffering and regretting life choices.

Gaster had never thought that in the twenty-eight years he'd been alive that he would ever hate sunlight. Everyone in the Underground had always craved sunlight most of all, even going as far as to have the King create fake weather. Real sunlight was so much brighter, so much warmer. He was trying really hard to like it, but it just wasn't happening. So, here he walked next to Papyrus, Toriel, and Sans, regretting the decision of getting out of bed. Sans didn't really seem all that fond of the sun, either. Despite it being warm out, Sans had his hood up, as if to hide his face from the wretched bright yellow ball in the sky. It was working, Gaster would give him that, but it was pretty hard to know what Sans was thinking since he couldn't see his face. 

Toriel and Papyrus stopped, and Sans and Gaster stopped as well. "Is there anything you two need to get done today?" She asked. 

Sans shuffled his feet against the ground a bit as he looked around.  _So many people..._ He cleared his throat. "Nah, not really." Truth be told, Sans wouldn't have even left the house if Papyrus hadn't almost literally dragged them out of the house. He wanted to be at home, watching some dumb show on the Discovery channel with Gaster. Not out with Toriel and Papyrus running errands. 

Gaster didn't answer, and so the former queen looked at him expectingly. Gaster shook his head. "No, there isn't really anything I can think of that Sans and I would need to get done." He answered finally. 

"Well, that's fine," Papyrus said. "I'm just glad you two finally got out of the house! You've been couped up in Sans' room for a week!" Had he already been back for a week...? Well, that made sense. He'd slept the first three days, and he'd been awake for about four or five now. Yeah, it'd been a week. Damn, he'd forgotten what existing felt like. 

Toriel's hand closed around something and then she gently grabbed the former scientist's wrist, dropping the contents of whatever was in her hand into Gaster's. "You and Sans should go experience the surface, dear friend."

Gaster briefly looked to the contents of his hands, then back to Toriel. Had she really just... Handed him money? Why? "I wouldn't want to be a bother." He said, trying to hand the money back to her. She only shook her head. 

"No, I insist. You two don't seem to be enjoying running errands with Papyrus and me, anyway. You should go have some fun."

"Uh, thanks, Tori," Sans said. Papyrus looked a tiny bit upset that he was losing his errand buddies, but Sans had a feeling he'd be just fine. 

"We will see you at home later, right?" Toriel asked. Gaster nodded. 

"Thank you." The former scientist said. 

"No need to thank me," Toriel replied. She looked at Papyrus. "I believe grocery shopping is next on the list, yes?"

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically. "I'm gonna get more noodles!'

Toriel laughed, looking at Sans and Gaster again. "We will see you, then."

"Bye, Toriel," Sans said. Toriel waved as Papyrus skipped next to her, and they walked away, almost undiscernable from the rest of the crowd. 

"I guess we have to go somewhere, then..." Gaster mumbled. Sans looked up at him. "What kinds of places are even around here...?"

Sans shrugged. "Reminds me a bit of New Home, just with more colors." He said. "Maybe if we just walk around and read signs and shit, we'll find something?"

They'd wandered aimlessly for five minutes now, and it had only just occurred to Sans they were going to have to use the GPS on his phone to get home because they were so lost it was ridiculous. So far they'd seen several office buildings, a pizza place, a gym, an arcade, a barber shop and a bar. This wasn't going very well.

And then a sign caught Sans' eye, and he stopped in his tracks, Gaster following suit when he'd realized Sans had stopped walking. The sign was old and worn, but it showed a picture of the Earth, and in bright, bold red letters, it said 'Planetarium'. Sans looked up at Gaster, who looked down at Sans. They didn't even need to say anything. "I think I found something."

"You most definitely did," Gaster replied. He reached for Sans' hand, and their fingers intertwined with each other. "Shall we?"

"We shall." They walked toward the building and Gaster held the door open for Sans. "You're still such a gentleman, Gaster."

"I try," Gaster replied. Sans walked into the building and Gaster followed behind. 

They did, indeed, need to use Sans' phone GPS to get home, which hadn't been surprising at all. After all, they both had no idea where they were going. So, now it was the end of the afternoon, the sun was starting to set for the day, and the clouds stood pink against an orange and purple sky. "Turn left in five hundred feet," Sans said, reading out the directions on the screen in front of him. He mindlessly swung his and Gaster's arms as they walked. 

Gaster looked at the sky, taking in the breathtaking sight of the sun setting. "It's so much better in person than it is in pictures..." He mumbled. 

Sans nodded. "Sure is somethin'." Truth be told, he wasn't really paying too much attention to the sunset, but it was hard to avoid otherwise, given how much the colors stood out. He'd always been more drawn to the night sky, and still hadn't really had the chance to see that yet, at least as far as he could remember. After all, even in the other timelines when Frisk had set mankind free after they reset, there were only certain things about those good runs that he could remember. Like how long it took Frisk to get bored and reset, or how everyone was doing in each reset, things that they'd done with their lives. Even if Sans had experienced stars and sunsets in other timelines, that was just the tiny bit that he couldn't remember. Of course, the universe would rob him of memories like that, but not the other ones. 

Well, maybe that was for the best. After all, Gaster had still been trapped in the Void during that time. They wouldn't have been able to keep that promise of seeing the stars together. If he couldn't remember, that might as well have been the same thing as never having seen them in the first place, right? So they could still experience that together. 

His grip on Gaster's hand tightened a bit as he stopped swinging their arms, sighing. Gaster looked at him. "Is... Something wrong...?" He asked. 

"No, everything's fine," Sans replied. He looked at his phone. They'd only gone two hundred more feet... Stars, walking took so long. He wished he could teleport, but he didn't know how to from here. So, they had to walk. 

"Are you sure?" Gaster asked. "You know you can talk to me if something's wrong."

Sans shrugged. "I'm just tired." He said. "I might go to bed early tonight, or something. I dunno."

"Could I take you one last place before you do go to sleep?" Gaster asked. Sans raised a brow. 

"Where?" He asked curiously. Gaster shrugged. 

"The top of Mount Ebbot." He answered. "I'd like to go see those stars if you wanna."

Huh... It was almost as if Gaster could read his mind. "Yeah, that'd be cool..." He said. 

"It'll have to wait an hour or two. The stars won't really be visible until the sun sets entirely." Which, Gaster only knew from studying and majoring in astrology. Even in the Underground, as long as he knew which direction was north, east, west and south, he could have pointed to the ceiling and told you where, overhead, a specific star was. You wanted to know where the little dipper is? Easy. Wanna know where the sun is? What time of day is it outside, and what time zone are we in? In a way, he had always thought that had brought him just a tiny bit closer to a world he had very little hope of ever being able to see. 

"I can wait that long," Sans said. He started swinging their arms again and walked closer to Gaster. 

_**\----------** _

As soon as they'd shortcutted to the near top of the mountain, both let out an awed sigh. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but thousands, millions, trillions of glowing white dots against a midnight blue sky as the moon shone overhead, full and bright. Sans sat on the grass and looked up at the sky and Gaster sat next to him, doing the same. Sans pointed to a pattern of stars in the sky. "There's Orion." He said. 

Gaster was the next to point. "And there's the big dipper." He pointed again to another constellation that was a bit smaller but similar looking. "And there's the little dipper."

They could have both sat there for hours and point out every constellation they saw, but then they were caught off guard as something bright quickly streaked across the sky and vanished almost as soon as it came. Sans almost jumped, pointing at where it had been. "You saw that, too, right?"

Gaster nodded. "A meteor... Or, as common folk call it, a shooting star."

"Let's make a wish," Sans suggested. Gaster, despite his usual professionalism, when it came to this kind of stuff (like the fact that falling rocks didn't grant wishes), couldn't really find it within himself to tell Sans that it was silly to make a wish on a rock. After all, chances were, Sans already knew. So, he made a wish, and Sans did, too. They settled into the grass again and kept their eyes glued to the night sky. 

They must have been there for a while because what felt like twenty minutes had passed, and Gaster's concept of time was still all out of whack like a bad case of jet lag. Gaster heard Sans yawn next to him and looked at the younger male, amused to see Sans had half fallen asleep, leaning on the older male's arm. Gaster wrapped said arm around Sans and pulled him close as the sleepy figure returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Gaster. He rested his head on Gaster's chest. "Do you wanna go home...?"

Sans nodded tiredly. "Mmhmm..." He mumbled. 

"Alright," Gaster said. "Let's go home."

Sans dreaded having to stand up, dreaded having to use more magic, and by extension, more energy, by teleporting them both home, but it beat walking. Lucky for him, he knew the way from his house to Mount Ebbot. They lived only a mile or two from the base of it. 

The house was quiet when they got home, and only one person was awake and sitting on the couch sitting next to a sleeping redhead with earbuds in and a laptop on her lap. Alphys. She probably didn't notice either of them and even if she did, she didn't say anything. Sans and Gaster dragged themselves up the stairs to their room. 

Sans flopped into bed as soon as he got the chance to, and then shuffled tiredly in bed into his own side of the bed so Gaster could climb in next to him, which he did, and he pulled the covers over them. "Let's never do errands with Papyrus and Toriel again," Sans said with a tired laugh. "I get tired just watching Papyrus skip around like that. He's got way too much energy."

"Definitely didn't grow out of his rambunctious ways," Gaster said. Sans snuggled closer, and Gaster wrapped his arms around Sans' smaller frame. "Neither did Undyne."

"Nope. I think it got worse, actually." Sans replied. Gaster laughed a little. 

"It's like a hurricane and a tornado at the same time."

"'Hurricnado Papdyne'."

Gaster snorted a little, and Sans smiled. What a dork...

Gaster kissed Sans' forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too..." Sans yawned. "Night, Gaster..."

"Night, Sans."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be one of the last chapters I post before I go on hiatus next week (Thursday, November 23rd, 2018). Keep in mind that if there are any new chapters, they're pre-written. Even if I write chapters while I'm on hiatus, they won't be posted until Thursday, January 4th, 2018. So there most likely won't be any new chapters until the end of my hiatus.


	11. Ten - Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans wakes up with a fever, and Gaster and Papyrus have a bit of a serious chat. 
> 
> Sorry, this chapter is a bit short, I'm just a bit burned out recently. This is also probably the last chapter before my hiatus. So, there probably won't be any new chapters until January 4th, 2018. Sorry and all, but holidays around my house get crazy so there's no way in hell I'm gonna really be able to do any work on this book. 
> 
> Trigger warnings: Mention of suicide attempts, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, depression, and a few other nasty triggering things I'm sure I forgot to mention here. Proceed with caution.

Sunlight pours from the window into the room, and Sans' immediate reaction is to turn onto his other side so he doesn't have to deal with it. Of course, this means turning away from Gaster, but it isn't that big of a deal. After all, Gaster's not going anywhere. 

He felt strong arms wrap around his midsection and felt Gaster snuggle up to him. "You awake...?" Sans asked. His voice sounded more hoarse than it usually did when he'd just woken up. He had a pretty bad headache too. Gaster seemed to notice. The older man reached up, putting the back of his hand against Sans' forehead. 

"You're burning up." He said. He kissed the back of Sans' neck. "You should stay in bed."

As much as he would have loved to have taken up on that offer a little under a month ago, he also knew he'd been doing way too well lately to stay in bed. If he stayed in bed today, he didn't know if he'd be able to get himself back out of bed, even now that Gaster was back and he was the only reason he was bothering to get out of bed lately. "It's just a little cold," Sans said. "I'll be fine."

He didn't want to admit to Gaster that staying in bed was probably the worst idea for him right now. He didn't wanna lose momentum again. He knew that if he let himself be lazy again, it was gonna be harder to get back up. Then, he was gonna get dragged back down, whether Gaster was here or not, and getting dragged back into the eternal damnation that was depression didn't really seem like a good idea, right now or ever again, really. That being said, even thinking about staying in bed now was really making him want to stay in bed, so now he was gonna have to push himself out of bed. Great... 

"Sans, I really do think you should rest..." Gaster said. Sans ignored him, pushing himself to sit up in bed. Gaster sighed but didn't say anything else on the matter. He sat up in bed, too. The former Royal Scientist cringed as Sans stretched, hearing the joints click back into place. His smaller partner really wasn't healthy. He made a mental note to try to help Sans improve his health from now on; both mental and physical. 

Sans rubbed his eyes tiredly, and for half a second, he considered going back to sleep. _No_ , he reminded himself.  _Going to sleep won't solve anything_. Still, he felt like crap, and he knew it was gonna take all his strength to pull himself through the day. As depressing as that was, he was gonna have to suffer before things could start to get better. 

_**\----------** _

Papyrus was an interesting character these days, Gaster thought. The last time he'd seen his partner's younger brother before his disappearance, he'd been only thirteen. A student in seventh grade. Now, Papyrus was eighteen. He stood as tall and as proud as he always had, but now he had the height to back that confidence up. He had, in fact, grown to be taller than Sans. Not that it was hard to be taller than Sans, who was stuck seemingly forever at the very short height of five foot five and a half. At least he had grown a few more inches in the four years Gaster had been gone. 

There was, however, one thing about Papyrus that bothered Gaster, and it seemed to only be a today issue. As Sans went about his business, coughing and sniffling into the sleeve of his jacket, Papyrus was giving Gaster a look that could only be described as impatient. Why Papyrus was so seemingly upset with him, Gaster had no idea. He couldn't recall doing anything to get on Papyrus' bad side, and he hadn't ever really recalled Papyrus even having a bad side. Papyrus had always been a sweetheart to everyone, almost to an absolute fault. Sans was even scared of his younger brother getting taken advantage of, and he'd told Gaster so, and the former scientist agreed wholeheartedly that Papyrus was an easy target for some sleazeball. 

There wasn't any real rational reason Papyrus should have been angry at him, right? Maybe he was overthinking this. He had a tendency to do that. 'Overthinking' might as well have been his middle name (Dr. Wingdings Aster Overthinking Screen, boy, what a name). Then again, maybe 'Crippling Anxiety' would have been a better middle name. Posh people with the title 'Dr.' probably commonly had two middle names. Either way, he could not, for the life of him, figure out why Papyrus was looking at him like that. All annoyed like he'd done something wrong... It was... Unsettling...

Gaster was standing on the back porch drinking his fifth cup of coffee that day, despite the fact that the sun was setting now. He heard the glass door slide open and his head immediately whipped around to see who was opening the door. Speak of the devil and the devil shall come. Papyrus closed the door behind himself as he walked further out onto the porch and stopped right next to Gaster. The former scientist took a long sip from his coffee mug and waited for whatever it was Papyrus was going to say. 

He watched as the other struggled for a moment, opening, closing and reopening his mouth a few times as if he was constantly gathering the courage to say something, and then immediately losing that courage again. He never seemed so unsure before... "Does... My brother seem... Different to you...?" He asked. "Than when you first met him, I mean."

That was... Not at all what Gaster had been expecting. "Um..." He thought for a moment. Was Sans different...? He decided, yes, Sans was different. Sans was almost entirely different to a point where it was concerning. Sans had always struggled before with depression, that was a no-brainer. But, somewhere along the way, after he'd been whisked away from reality by that damned machine, something must have happened to Sans. He'd gone from carefree to careless. He became even more suicidal than he had been before. Sans hadn't admitted any of this to Gaster. The scientist just knew from looking at his partner. "In a matter of speaking, yes. Sans isn't the same as he was when we met." That seemed like the most delicate way to put it. 

Papyrus didn't seem to like the delicate approach, which made sense with how upfront of a person he was. He frowned a bit. "You don't have to act like I don't know why." He said. He rubbed his arm. "He... Got really bad after you left. I don't think he noticed that I knew. I didn't know why he was getting worse, but I know now." He looked at Gaster. "He wouldn't leave his bed for a while, and then even when he did, he still didn't seem like himself. He stopped eating, stopped showering- he just  _stopped_."

Gaster put his coffee cup down. "I'm not really sure what to say to that." He replied. 

"I don't really expect you to know what to say to that. I just... Thought I should let you know how much you mean to him." Papyrus said. "He literally can't even function without you around, so I just wanted to make sure you'd... Never disappear and leave him again... Because I don't know if he'd ever be able to recover from losing you again."

"What makes you think I'd leave on purpose?" Gaster asked. He wasn't annoyed, just curious. 

Papyrus fidgeted and shrugged. "I don't know..." He admitted. "I'm just worried about Sans. I don't want to lose him..." He kicked the ground a little. "I had to stop him from... taking his own life, once... While you were gone."

That confirmed Gaster's suspicion, not that it was hard to catch on. Anyone could have been able to tell that Sans was a little fucked up in the head. As unaware of what usually happened while Frisk was in the Underground, Gaster was sure that whatever that child had done during their several visits there had been at least a small bit responsible for how Sans was now, and he was sure his own disappearance had only been the icing on the cake. Still, he had a bad feeling about Frisk. There had to be some reason Sans didn't like that kid... Like, loathed them, even. Sans  _hated_  Frisk. 

Just because Gaster expected that Sans would have attempted to end it didn't mean it didn't bother him. Quite the opposite in fact. He was severely upset, but he held it down like raw magic, his expression remaining neutral and not betraying anything he was thinking. He swallowed. "How did he... Try...?" He didn't really finish the thought, but Papyrus caught on. 

"He, um... He tried to..." Papyrus made a vague motion, running his index finger along his wrist. Gaster understood. "With a really sharp blade, I don't even know where he got it from..."

The former scientist felt sick to his stomach. He looked through the sliding glass door and into the house where he saw Sans, who looked like he was telling Toriel a joke. Sans caught sight of the scientist and gave him a smile and a small wave. Gaster waved back. He sighed shakily. "Is there anything else you wanted to say?" He asked Papyrus.

"Just... Take care of him, please. He trusts you, and you make him really happy... I've never seen him happier than when he's with you." Papyrus said. "If you disappear again, I'm... Probably gonna lose him... He's the only family I have left." 

The words weighed down on Gaster's shoulders as Papyrus spoke, and when things went silent between them again, the weight seemed to get worse. Sans was Papyrus' only family. Gaster had known that for years, knew it was only him and Sans anymore. Hell, Sans had told him that the first day they met. 

_"I don't really have any family. It's just me and my little brother. Been like that for twelve years."_

"Trust me, I have no intention of ever leaving your brother ever again," Gaster said. "I've already been keeping an eye on him, and I intend to until the day either of us dies."

"Oh!" Papyrus said, his attitude shifting back to his usual cheerful one. "Does that mean you and Sans are getting married? Because I think you two would make a lovely married couple." Gaster blushed in embarrassment. Papyrus sure did like to get ahead of himself...

"W-Well, it's still pretty early to consider marriage..."

"Whaaaat?" Papyrus said. He seemed a bit miffed. "Just because you were gone for a while, doesn't mean you two weren't together the entire time. Which means you've been dating for like... almost six years!" He said. "And you very clearly love each other very much. You would make such a cute married couple! Sans would probably be the housewife."

Papyrus really liked getting ahead of himself. It took all of Gaster's strength not to go back to Hotland and throw himself into the lava. Stars, he was so embarrassed... "Really, Papyrus, it's still much too soon to think about marriage."

"Okay... But, if you do ever get married, we both agree Sans is the one who'd wear the dress right?"

Gaster chuckled. "Yeah." He said. "He'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any fan art, or just wanna talk, feel free to reach me. I don't bite (much). 
> 
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> 
> \- Felix


	12. Eleven - No Big Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans isn't convinced his illness is caused by the operation until he finds some proof of such.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, screw hiatus. Who needs a vacation when you can just overwork yourself?

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was a pounding headache. It felt like someone had taken a hammer and started beating on the inside of his skull. He laid down in bed for several extra minutes, almost an hour even just trying to get it to go away. It just got worse with each passing moment. With a headache this bad, he knew sleeping it off would be impossible, and he still didn't want to stay in bed because of the aforementioned slowing down thing, so now he was just gonna be stuck with this killer headache in a house full of people with three kids in it. Five, if you counted Papyrus and Undyne. They were adults, though hardly. They both still had way too much energy. Sans sighed, letting himself sink into the covers again. Maybe he could just stay five more minutes...

As it turned out, he was able to sleep, and he ended up waking up again with an even worse headache. Gaster was sitting up in bed next to him, wide awake and on his phone. Upon seeing that Sans was awake, the former scientist put the back of his hand on Sans' forehead with a small frown. "You've still got a fever..." He muttered.

Sans coughed a little despite himself. "I get sick all the time, it's nothing to worry about." He said quietly. "Really, I'll be fine."

"Sans, you really should be more concerned about this," Gaster said. "This could be a side effect."

In his dazed mind, he asked 'side effect of what?', but then his brain got the message and it was a no-brainer that Gaster was referring to the operation. The one he'd been so against because of unforeseen consequences. He was implying, of course, that this sickness was a side effect. "So what...? It's probably just a cold or somethin'... Nothin' I can't handle."

Gaster looked like he wanted to say something, but he seemingly decided against it. Finally, he said, "Okay, but if your health gets worse, we're informing Dr. Alphys."

"Okay," Sans replied. Gaster was probably right about that. The common cold didn't really get worse. It had a high peak of being sucky, and then you gradually got better. Even if this wasn't a side effect of the operation, it'd still be worth getting it checked if it got worse. A large bandaged hand ruffled his hair, and Sans looked up at the former scientist again, sticking out his tongue at him.

"Stay in bed today, okay? Whatever this is, rest is the best way to recover from illness."

"Okay," Sans said. He closed his eyes and snuggled back down into the blankets. May as well actually try to get some sleep if he was gonna stay in bed. 

Gaster made his way down the stairs eventually out of lack of anything better to do. With Sans asleep, it wasn't like he had him to keep him company. There wasn't much of anything for him to do in their room since he hadn't been back long enough to have very many possessions of his own. Sans had saved a lot of his clothes, and he'd managed to keep his phone with him all these years, though it had served no use to him in The Void since there wasn't any wifi, electricity or phone reception. 

The worst thing about the Void, he thought to himself, was probably the fact that there was a huge 'screen' to watch multiple universes and timelines with. He had no control over what was being shown, and so often he'd have to wait days or months to even be lucky to catch a glimpse of anyone in his universe who he recognized. Hell, the last time the screen had shown Sans was... Two years ago? Maybe a little less than that? It'd been a while. 

Gaster was particularly fond of the back porch. It was perfect for a break. So, he sat out there again with a mug of coffee, watching daylight burn away. Eventually, when someone else had decided they wanted to be on the back porch, the former scientist looked to the door. Undyne closed the door behind her as she walked onto the deck of the porch. She looked at Gaster and crossed her arms. "So, Sans is still sick, huh?" She asked.

Gaster nodded. "More so then yesterday, I think." He said. She sat down at the small table across from him, and he took note of how much she'd changed since four years ago. The biggest change, of course, is her height. She was almost as tall as him and taller than Papyrus, and even Papyrus was pretty tall these days. They'd both shot up like bean sprouts. Sans, on the other hand, had remained at five foot three inches. 

He wondered for a moment why she was asking about Sans, and then she answered him before the words could go past his lips. "Papyrus is kinda worried about him for... More reasons than one, and I'm just trying to make sure that you're aware of the situation." She said. This was more serious than he'd ever seen her, honestly. She did, out of her and Papyrus, give off more of a mature vibe. Which was probably why Sans considered Undyne Papyrus' big sister. She did act like a big sister.

"Which situation are you referring to?" He asked. He had a feeling it probably had to do with what he and Papyrus had already talked about last night; Sans' depression. It seemed to be a topic heavy on everyone's mind, now that Sans was being a bit more open about stuff like that. He still didn't really talk about it, but he wasn't really pretending anymore, either. Not really.

"Sans is kinda, uh..." She made a circle with her index finger next to her head. "'Out to lunch', I think. Like, I think that guy saw some shit."

Yeah, of course, it was about this. He'd seen it coming. "I'm very well aware," Gaster replied. "He's been like that since I met him." Longer than that, but that detail wasn't that important.  

"And Papyrus already told you all that other stuff yesterday, right?" She asked. He nodded again. "Okay, good."

Gaster sighed. This was a heavier conversation than what he was really prepared for right now, but he supposed it had to be said. He didn't really like the fact that all the conversations he'd had so far about Sans' mental health had been moreover with people who weren't Sans than Sans himself. Again, Sans still didn't like talking about this, even though talking about it would probably be for the best. Talking wasn't a cure, obviously, but still.

Undyne looked around a bit, seemingly bored. She was familiar with this view by now. Unlike him, she'd been on the surface for almost a year now. The sun, and the trees, and everything else Gaster was still getting used to had been a constant in her life for several months by now. He was sure he'd be just as stoic towards the surface after being here for a while, too. It was already starting to lose its edge. "I kinda already noticed it a long time ago." She said. "I met Sans when he was eleven, and back then he was still kinda... Y'know. Happy. It was kinda obvious when he started to change. Then, I guess, he started working for you, and even though I can only vaguely remember that time period, I do remember him being much happier."

"Papyrus suggested the same thing. That I had some serious sort of impact on Sans' mood."

"He just stopped when you disappeared. He didn't get out of bed, didn't go to work, didn't eat, didn't shower. I finally had to try to talk some sense into him after a few weeks. We couldn't even get any straight answers out of him. He just... Stopped." She paused. "So, I think it's pretty obvious that you impact him more than you think you do."

He didn't really know what to do with this new information, though, he'd already speculated as much, only days after the accident. That Sans would be in such a bad shape. He'd always been acutely aware of Sans' emotional dependency. Of course, relationships usually failed when there was such emotional dependency. After all, you couldn't always trust someone to be your backbone. But, he'd found that he was also pretty emotionally dependent and that just always seemed like more reason to stay with Sans than to leave him. Of course, staying with him had always been the plan. Leaving him had never been on the agenda. He failed at that pretty badly, and Sans was still paying for it. 

Undyne stood from the seat after Gaster had gone silent, and looked like she was debating saying something else, or leaving. In the end, she chose to say something else. "And um, I kinda agree with Papyrus... You two seem like marriage material."

The idea didn't seem as embarrassing as before. "It's still too soon." He said dismissively. "Neither of us even have a job, or a place of our own, or anything like that, and I just got back. Plus, he's got bigger things to worry about, first."

It sounded pretty fair. Focusing on helping Sans through these trying times seemed more important than popping the question. Truthfully, he had wanted to ask before the accident. But, this was the aftermath. He was back, but there was still cleanup to do before things could return to normal- if they could ever return to normal at all. If there had ever really been a normal to begin with. Undyne seemed to agree since she nodded. "Do whatever you think you have to, I'm just saying you should totally consider it at some point." She shrugged. She seemed to go back to her more... Overzealous side, given that she almost threw the sliding door open. "Welp, I'm going inside!" She said cheerfully. "See ya, nerd!!"

And with that, the sliding door slammed behind her, and he was alone again. He sighed. He was really going to have to talk to Sans soon...

_**~~~~~~~~~~** _

He expected it to be Papyrus as he heard the all too familiar knock. Papyrus always knocked twice, like a knock-knock joke, despite supposedly hating them. "Who's there?" Sans said. 

"It's me," Papyrus said.

"Me, who?"

Papyrus rolled his eyes. Well, at least Sans wasn't too sick. He was still just as much of a bonehead. That was relieving. "Papyrus." He said. He opened the door, with a struggle of course. His hands were kind of full, which Sans noticed as soon as he walked in. Oh, another tray of food. Was this just gonna become a thing? Whenever he was unable to go get stuff for himself, his brother was just going to come give it to him? Alright. He could do this. Still, he raised an eyebrow. Papyrus wasn't usually one to cater to him. What was making him this nice recently? Like, yeah, Papyrus was a nice person in general, but he still had the belief that if you're physically able to do something for yourself, you should. It wasn't like he was dying, and thusfore, he was physically capable, and here Papyrus was, serving him. It was... Odd.

He didn't voice his opinion, and Papyrus didn't explain himself. He only walked further into the room and set the tray down on the bedside table. Sans had always been pretty good at reading expressions, and his brother's looked... Concerned. Deeply concerned. Worried. Papyrus seemed to notice his brother was reading his face. It was just a thing Sans did. He expected it as soon as he walked in. "You okay, bro?" Sans asked. He coughed into his elbow, and Papyrus thought for a moment that he should be the one asking that.

Papyrus stammered over words for a moment, and then Sans was worried. Papyrus wasn't one to stutter. He was usually so sure of himself. "I just... I'm struggling to  _not_  see a correlation between you being sick and the operation..." He said. Oh, this again. They all thought this was a side effect. 

"Bro, come on. I get sick all the time. You know this by now." Stars, he sounded like shit. This might be a bit more severe than just the common cold, but for the life of him, he just couldn't see why everyone thought this was because of the operation. Maybe he had pneumonia or something. Pneumonia was pretty serious, but it wasn't really deadly. Not with the right treatment. Either way, it wasn't the operation that made him this sick, right? That was over a week ago. It would have caught up faster than that if something bad was gonna happen. Right? 

"Sans, I don't think you're taking this as seriously as you should be," Papyrus warned. His expression deepened. "You have to be careful. You only have one HP. I don't-" He paused midsentence. He sighed, looking like he wanted to curl up in on himself. He was... Genuinely worried about him. "I think you're sick because of the operation. I don't think it was a good idea..."

He didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged. What was he supposed to tell him? 'Hey, sorry bro, but I was probably gonna die if I didn't try, anyway'? He couldn't tell his brother that. Papyrus was smart. He was probably already very aware what his future would have held if his older brother hadn't been able to save the former Royal Scientist. He was probably aware what would have happened if they'd never found each other again at all. Papyrus was very smart, after all. "I don't think this has anything to do with the operation," Sans said. "Or really anything to do with the fact that I have one HP, or because a chunk of my soul's not there anymore, or anything like that. I think it's just my shit health acting up like it always does. There's nothing to worry about." And then as if to contradict himself, he coughed and wheezed into his elbow. Whatever this was, it was very bronchial... His voice sounded dry. He kinda sounded like a dying cat. 

Hm, that expression... That was the expression of someone who was frustrated. The expression of someone who had more to say, but chose not to, because they'd already tried and failed. The look didn't suit Papyrus. Hopelessness didn't suit Papyrus. But, there it was, clear as day. His younger brother looked tired. Maybe not quite the same tiredness Sans carried (Or rather dragged) with him, but it was a tiredness, nonetheless. He looked so worried... "There's some medicine next to your food." He gestured to the tray. "Make sure not to take it on an empty stomach."

Sans nodded a little. He wished Papyrus would go away, so he didn't have to see that look on his face. "Yeah, of course, bro." 

Papyrus looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't. Instead, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Sans ate the food his brother brought him in silence, and when he finished the plate, he looked at the small cup full of purple liquid. Probably some sort of cough medicine. It was medicine of some sort, at least. It was purple. Ugh, artificial grape... Gross. He put the cup back on the tray, and the tray back on the table. He probably didn't actually need that. He'd always gotten better on his own, anyway. Who needed medicine?

Wow... The room sure was silent, huh? He, uh. Sure didn't like silence. Liked being alone in silence even more. But, here he was, all alone in a silent room. He should have convinced Papyrus to stay in here with him, but his brother probably would have said no. Probably.

And then he heard something. It was a faint sound, but it sounded like... Cracking glass. And then he heard it again, and he felt worse all of a sudden. He didn't hear it again for several seconds, but when he did, pain shot through his chest, nearly knocking the air out of him. Oh, this wasn't good. He knew this feeling. Hesitantly, he pulled his soul out of his chest. The imperfect heart floated in front of him, glowing dully. He heard and saw the crack again as a new crack appeared on the surface of the organ. 

Well, fuck.


	13. Twelve - Every Kiss Begins With Kay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I kinda wanted to give some insight on Past Gaster's opinion of marriage, or, more relevantly, his opinion on marrying Sans. He was pretty gung-ho about wanting to, but he never brought it up because of fear of rejection. AAAAAnd then he was erased from time and space and the rest is history. 
> 
> Tbh this chapter exists because I wanted to infuriate you all with the anxiety of "OMG what's gonna happen to Sans". You still don't get to know how he's doing until next chapter. >;33

**_2012  
_ ** **_~Second Person's PoV~_ **

_Another day in paradise_ , you thought, as you woke up to the loud sound of children. Sounds like the weather's calling for another hurricnado. Hurricnado Papdyne often wreaked havoc on this house.  _Stars forbid anyone sleep in on a Saturday_. Of course, then you turned over in bed, and the 'another day in paradise' thought felt a little less sarcastic. 

You brought your hand up and started messing with fluffy brown locks of hair. You wondered how Sans' hair didn't get messed up when he slept, whereas you had bed-head that made you look like Doc Brown from Back To The Future. 

Sans was waking up, and you knew that because he was rolling to face away from you. He always did it in the morning when he woke up. You didn't like it since you wanted to see his pretty blue eyes as soon as he was awake, but you didn't hold it against him. He was still mostly unconscious whenever he did that. He yawned and stretched a little. You wondered to yourself how the both of you made this twin size mattress work for the both of you. Note to self, get a bigger bed in the future. It'd be much roomier, and then you wouldn't have to worry about Sans rolling off the bed in the middle of the night. Sans rolled back onto his other side, and you locked eyes with him. You still really loved blue eyes, especially his. Gosh, your thoughts were so cheesy, but you couldn't help it. You were just in a really good mood lately. He smiled a little at you, and you smiled back. "Mornin', Dings."

He yawned again as he snuggled up to you, and you wrapped your arms around him. This was better. You definitely liked this a lot more. "How did you sleep?" You ask. Sans had problems falling asleep, sometimes, so you liked asking.

"I slept good." He says. You want to correct his grammar, but you don't have the energy for it, having just woken up. It doesn't much matter, anyway. It's not like you have work today. It's Saturday. Sans can say stuff as wrong as he wants to, and he probably has every intention of doing so. His speech patterns are always lazier on weekends, you've noticed.

But, then, you've noticed a lot about Sans' odd little quirks that made him... Well, Sans. His self-destructive jokes were usually no more than jokes, in a normal situation, but whenever he was having a particularly off day, they'd be serious. You could tell when he actually thought those things, and when he was simply joking. Then, there was that cute little thing he did where he'd go slightly cross eyed when he was reading. You knew he dotted his i's with thick circles instead of tiny dots, and he brushed his top teeth before his bottom ones. He drowned his food in ketchup and then would drink the rest of the bottle. 

Sans was really unique, and you loved every weird little thing about him.

As he stood at the stove cooking breakfast, you let yourself stand in the doorway and watch him, entranced. You were hooked on his every move, not wanting to tear your eyes away from him because you thought that if you did, you'd miss Sans doing something that only Sans did. That, and you didn't have anything better than to keep your gaze on your younger partner, anyways. You'd answered Asgore's morning text, you checked your Facebook, and did everything else you could really think of. 

Okay, and maybe it was a bit entertaining to watch Sans dance around the kitchen in nothing but socks, an oversized sweater (which was yours, but Sans seemed to disagree, it was his now), and flamingo boxers. Stars, he was so cute. 

You must have spaced out, admiring Sans too long, because the next thing you know, you're sitting at the table with him, Papyrus and Undyne, and your breakfast is sitting in front of you. You're not really hungry, and Sans probably knows this, but you've been trying to get better at remembering to eat. Or, rather, Sans was trying to get you to remember to eat. You still couldn't stomach very big meals, so he gave you small portions. You had insisted you didn't need the standard three meals a day, you were perfectly fine with one, but Sans said he didn't want to see you drop dead from malnourishment. He said that you had helped him stop his self-destructive behavior (most of it, anyway), and now he wanted to help you. He was sure you'd be able to hold a meal down soon. 

Papyrus and Undyne chattered happily about what they were going to do with their day. You weren't really listening because you were distracted. You couldn't take your eyes off Sans, for some reason. There was just something about your partner that was pretty hypnotizing right now, and you didn't really understand it. Then again, you'd never really understood your attraction towards him. 

Sans wasn't exactly conventionally attractive, yet you still found him so. He was chubby, which he himself didn't really like, but you told him you found it cute. There was just more of him to love. He seemed a little less bothered about his weight since then. You were pretty convinced Sans had some issues with his image in that regard.  Most people wouldn't have found it attractive, you knew it, Sans knew it, but here you were. You found how chubby and squishy he was adorable. You could probably go on about it for a while.

His eyes were definitely gorgeous. Sky blue eyes so full of hope for the future, which that last part was only a recent development. Set against his dark skin and his fluffy brunette hair, he could have been a model, if it weren't for his chubbiness. He could maybe be a plus sized model, but you knew that that business would probably drain him, anyway. He'd get negative comments on his appearance since you can't please everyone, and it'd only make his body image issues worse. He should probably just stick to science. 

In a way, maybe Sans was seemingly more attractive to you because you were emotionally invested in him. He was, after all, your boyfriend, and you'd felt a strong connection with him since the first day he started working for you. Which is probably why you fell for him so fast. You'd never really had the courage to form a relationship with people. The last and first partner you'd had wasn't exactly the best person, and after that, you kinda just married your job. You held your cards inside your chest even when the few people around you showed their cards willingly. Not you. You emotionally reserved yourself from people you weren't already familiar with, trying to put yourself in a protective, unbreakable bubble.

And then, Sans happened. 

Most people would have found him annoying, or nihilistic, or lazy, and for the first little while you knew him, you'd thought that too. The first day he started working at the lab, in fact, you nearly fired him because of how annoyed you were with him. He was pushing all the wrong buttons, and you didn't feel he was suited for that position. 

And now here you were, months later, living under the same roof as him, waking up in the same bed as him, standing in the doorway as he cooked breakfast, and going throughout your day with him at your side at almost every moment. It felt so nice to feel so secure. Sans was security. As long as you were with him, you were sure the world would always make sense. 

Maybe you were daydreaming a lot today because of the commercial you'd seen on television last night, you couldn't get that out of your head either. It was on one of Sans' VCR tapes, and the commercial showed a man and a woman growing old together after their wedding. It was a ring commercial. You felt odd the moment you saw it, and it was only clicking in your head now that you maybe envied the couple in the commercial? That was to say, maybe you wanted to ask Sans to marry you...?

Maybe you were overthinking.

Yeah, that was it. 

Sans seemed to notice you were a bit knee deep in thought, so he tapped your hand to get your attention. You looked up from your half-finished plate of food; he looked a bit worried. "You alright?" He asked. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." You replied. You wanted to ask him. You knew you did. Maybe it was stupid, or impulsive, but something just told you that you could risk being impulsive with Sans. You were convinced that he was something special. But, you held your tongue and busied it instead with eating. Your eggs were getting cold. 

Sans dropped the subject, and you mentally kicked yourself for not asking him.


	14. Thirteen - Don't Worry, I'm A Doctor; AAAAAAAAAA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sans has to face consequences for his decision, and nobody is happy with this.

_**~Third Person's PoV~** _

The first thing he does, of course, is panic a little. Okay, maybe panic a lot, given the fact that for a split second he's imagining his own funeral, and the next a red and gold corridor flash across the backs of his eyes. As soon as he was able to pull himself together, Sans stood and put the cracking organ where it belonged. He really should go tell Gaster, this isn't good-

And then his legs buckle underneath him, and he's unable to get back up. Try as he may, hands braced on the bed frame, trying to pull himself up, he just can't. And it's in his nature to give up, so he does so easily, and lays there on the floor. He suddenly doesn't feel a dire need to get up and tell anyone, even though that's what he should do; but his body feels like lead, His head is fuzzy, and now he's even having a hard time really caring. He thinks, vaguely, that he's read about something like this in the librarby once or twice. 

He dully takes note that he feels like he's falling, down, down, down. He closes his eyes. Maybe a nap wouldn't hurt...

_**~~~~~** _

Toriel isn't really too pleased when she hears a plate clatter next to her, and she has every intention to make sure at least that her assistant isn't hurt. Gaster was, after all, helping Toriel with the dishes, and since one just broke, she should make sure he's okay. All she confirms by looking over is that her dear old friend is on his knees, doubled over in pain on the kitchen floor, a few cuts on his hands from where the plate shards pierced his skin on the way down. She freezes in shock and then goes to rush over to help him after he makes a small, unintentional whine of pain. "What happened? What's wrong?" She asks. a hand on Gaster's back, the other on his head, pouring green healing magic into him. She looks him over and decides there are only a few minor surface wounds, but she's stubborn and continues using healing magic.

"S-Something's wrong..." The former Royal Scientist seems in a daze, and Toriel can't really blame him. Papyrus walked into the room, and upon seeing the scene, he asked the question Toriel already had. 

"What happened?"

Gaster works on getting to his feet as Toriel keeps trying to mother him. He gently shoves her hands away and slumps down in a seat. Sitting is, after all, better than kneeling in broken glass. He doesn't answer Papyrus, but the younger man watches Gaster as he summons 'his' soul (Or rather, his piece that used to belong to Sans). Gaster, of course, didn't expect another pang of pain as he heard a crack sound, leaning over in the seat to try to regain himself as Papyrus makes loud observations his dazed, hurt mind doesn't hear. 

He forgot just how bad pain was, he hadn't felt it in so long. 

Suddenly, Alphys is rushing over to him, and taking a look at the conjured organ floating in front of his chest as she mutters something that sounds serious. He can't really process it; the only thing he notices is the sound of something cracking, like glass, and pain. So much pain. It eventually dies down, and at that point, he's lying on the living room couch in a daze. One thought that was able to slip through the holes in his mind was the fact that this was all happening pretty fast. He sits up, throat dry, only to see Toriel and Alphys sitting next to the couch. As soon as they notice him move, they both look at him. "O-Oh, jeez, thank stars you're okay!"

Alphys had said that, and Gaster put his hand on his head to calm the headache he had. "What happened...?" He couldn't remember much of what had happened, how much time had passed, anything. All he knew was that he was fine, washing dishes with Toriel, and the next he wasn't. 

"U-Um..." Alphys seemed nervous. "Something's... Something's wrong with Sans."

Speak of the devil, Papyrus ran down the stairs with Sans in his arms. He seemed panicked. He laid his older brother on the couch across from Gaster, and Alphys immediately rushed over to Sans' side with a machine of some sort. "Run that by me again?" Gaster said. 

"I'm n-not sure what's wrong with him yet. I only knew there was something wrong because your piece of his soul is cr-cracking." It sounded like she was trying really hard to remain calm, and Gaster felt about ready to throw up. He tugged the soul piece out of his chest, cupping his hands around it protectively as he examined it. 

It was definitely cracking. Small lines littered the surface of the piece of the soul. Some of the lines looked like they'd been put there with a blade of some sort, and the others were most certainly cracks. He winced as he felt more pain zing through his body.  _Crack_. He heard the sound on the other side of the room, too, which just made him feel worse.

He could hear everyone around him panicking, could hear Papyrus and Undyne screaming about 'Is Sans okay? What's wrong with him? Is Gaster okay?', could hear Toriel trying to talk to him, could feel healing magic pouring into his body, but honestly, no one was home. He couldn't think. He numbly sat there and blocked everything out.

He knew he should have done something about Sans' illness!  _Stupid! Idiot! Stupid, stupid man! Why can't you do **anything**  right? You can't even disappear right! Sans wouldn't be like this right now if it weren't for you!_

"H-h-he's- oh, my stars, he's Falling Down!" That was Alphys' voice. He could hear her, and that was the thing that finally snapped him out of it and grounded him back in reality. Falling Down? 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, that seemed familiar, so he dug a little deeper. Right, he'd learned about that in school. Falling Down was what happened right before death, for both humans and monsters.

Wait, before death?

"What the hell do we do?" Undyne was exclaiming. Papyrus looked sicker to his stomach than Gaster felt right now, although honestly, Gaster was still a bit too out of it to even react. 

"He's gonna be okay, though, right?" Papyrus asked. He had his eyes fixed on his brother, whose chest rose and fell slowly. 

Alphys muttered a reply to him that Gaster didn't quite catch, and then Undyne said, "Come on, Paps, let's go for a walk while Al sorts things out. I'm sure Sans'll be fine."

It took a few minutes, but Undyne soon convinced Papyrus to go for a walk while Alphys sorted out his brother's condition. Said she worked better without a crowd. Papyrus reluctantly walked out the house and told Alphys to try her best. She nodded and got back to work. The rest of the crowd, being Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, Chara, and Frisk, decided it'd be best if they all left the room, too. Now the only people in the living room was Alphys, Gaster, and an unconscious Sans. Looks like the gang was back together in the worst of ways. 

Ignoring the pain that shot through his entire body, especially worse whenever he moved, Gaster stood up and went over to Alphys, who seemed to be running diagnostics on Sans with a very concerned expression.  _This isn't good, this isn't good at all, why is this happening?_ The former scientist could hear every last thought. Alphys didn't know what she was doing. Sure, she'd gone back to school a few years to get a medical degree, and Gaster himself although not a licensed professional, knew his way around the medical field. Even still, neither knew how to help Sans right now, and they were running out of time. 

"O-O-Okay..." Alphys said, her voice shaking a little. "We have about a week to figure this o-out... That's the average of how long someone stays Fallen Down before they..."

She didn't finish her sentence because she didn't need to. Gaster was well aware of the situation, and at this point, the only thing keeping him from being worse of a wreck than Alphys was concentration. Panicking just meant spending more time not fixing the problem. A week really wasn't that long. He had to put all his energy into trying to find some way to help Sans. "What should we do?"

The short blonde started pacing back and forth. "U-Uh... Well, we need to get his s-soul back to him, but that would mean risking you... And if he wakes up, and you're not here..."

"He'll be very upset." Gaster finished the sentence for her, though honestly, 'upset' wasn't a strong enough word. Sans would be devastated. "But, if we don't do anything, he dies, and I go back to the Void, anyway." 

Gaster dully noted that the headache was getting worse. Jeez, there was just no winning here, huh? Alphys continued to pace. "O-Oh, dear, this is not good..."  She looked at Gaster for some sort of guidance and found him wincing in pain, rubbing at his chest. "Th-the worse his condition gets..."

Neither of them finished the sentence that time. Gaster got the picture. 

_**~~~~~~~~~~** _

It was midnight now, and as Undyne and Papyrus entered the house, they were unusually quiet. Papyrus himself made a direct beeline where his brother lay on the couch, he asked Alphys a few questions, to which she responded, "Dr. Gaster and I a-are trying our best..." And left it at that. Papyrus didn't seem too thrilled by that information, and the former Royal Scientist found that, when Papyrus dragged himself up the stairs, he almost looked like his brother. Almost. Hopelessness really didn't suit Papyrus. 

Undyne, however, waited a few minutes after getting in the door to find out how Sans was. "How's he... Holding up...?"

"N-Not good..." Alphys replied. She was taking vitals on Sans for the fifth time tonight. He was still Fallen Down. They still had no idea what to do. "I didn't think it was p-p-possible for someone to Fall Down this young... He's only twenty-four..."

"Twenty-five, almost," Gaster added in. Sans' birthday was right at the end of the year and fell right at the beginning of the Capricorn zodiac. December twenty-second. It was a miracle he even remembered that, and it would have been really bad if he'd forgotten that because he often used that detail while in the Void to ground himself to reality. 

_My name is Dr. Wingdings Aster Screen, I am twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine years old. My birthday is April third. My partner is Sans Comic Fontz. He is nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four years old. His birthday is December twenty-second. I don't know why I'm here, and I don't think anyone remembers I ever even existed. I have new magical abilities because of this place. My creation backfired, and this is where I ended up. I will probably never be free. There are already things, already people I don't remember, and I am frightened that over time, I will forget about Sans, too._

And now, thinking back to that whole spiel that he'd tell himself whenever he felt he was forgetting, Gaster thought it was a miracle he remembered Sans at all. He'd only vaguely remembered Papyrus and Undyne, barely remembered Toriel, Asgore, and Gerson. The fact that he fully remembered Sans... Well, he'd count himself lucky. 

Undyne and Alphys continued their conversation as Gaster zoned out. What if Sans did die? He'd be sent back to the Void. Would he continue to remember Sans, and, if he did, for how long? He'd known Asgore longer than Sans, and he'd even forgotten about him in that god awful place. Would he eventually even forget about Sans, the more time that passed?

More importantly, how was he supposed to save him? If he gave him his soul back, he'd be pulled back to the Void. Sans would wake up, wonder where he was, and upon seeing he was nowhere and that he had his soul back, he'd spiral deeper into depression. No one would remember Gaster again, most likely, and so Sans would be alone again with the burden of memories no one else could remember. If he didn't give him his soul back, he'd more than likely perish, and then Gaster would be sent back to the Void, anyways. Either way, there was no winning. 

Gaster sighed. Stars, what had he gotten them both into...?


	15. Fourteen - The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Gaster come up with a way to help Sans.

Gaster couldn't sleep, and this was a first in a while. He hadn't slept much in the Void, but he didn't really think that counted. The Void, after all, was a place devoid of time. He didn't even know if it was fair to say if he aged or not in that place. So, if someone was in a place devoid of time, needless to say, it was easy to lose track of such a concept. But, this was the first time he'd been unable to sleep since getting to the surface if only because of the pain any time he heard a cracking sound, or because of the fact that Sans was all the way downstairs on the couch completely dead to the world. And that wasn't even a joke. 

Stupid, stupid man. This was his fault. Why'd he even go into the grey room in the first place? Sans wouldn't have found him, and thus, wouldn't be in this situation if Gaster just stayed in the Void. But, noooo, he had to get out of there for whatever reason. Why couldn't he just accept the fact that he was supposed to be stuck there? If he wasn't, he wouldn't have gone there in the first place. He thought he'd come to peace with being shattered across space and time, but apparently not. Whenever he saw that the grey room was open, he hopped right into it. Of course, when he'd seen it was open this time, he only expected to see Frisk. Frisk often visited him in the room, whenever they were able to. And he had to admit, having someone to talk to after floating around in dark solitude was nice. 

But, then, Sans walked through the door, and when he lifted his head and saw the other, he could have leaped for joy. Of course, at first, he was pretty... lackluster at showing how grateful he was to see him again, acting almost neutral, as if nothing had ever even happened, but then Sans cried and begged him to let him help him, and his walls broke down again. And maybe the reason he had his walls up in the first place was that he couldn't think of a future with him and Sans together. He was just so used to being trapped in the Void, so used to being all alone. He was certain he was going to continue being trapped there. Not that that was what he wanted. He would have traded anything in the world to be able to be on the surface with Sans. Would have traded the world. 

Now, Sans tried to trade the world, and it wasn't going as well as anyone had hoped. 

He should have told Sans no or told him to try to come up with some other solution. He and Alphys both knew Sans could barely support his body, much less two. Sans' soul alone couldn't have been bigger than the size of Frisk's paws. He should have known as soon as Sans gotten sick that it was the start of something horrible. But, Sans was as stubborn as the day was long, tried telling Gaster he was fine, and that this wasn't because of the operation, and that he was fine with sharing his soul with him because he was certain there'd be no consequences. 

And now, he was laying on the couch two floors away, half dead. Good going, Gaster. If you hadn't disappeared in the first place, he wouldn't be like this. 

Probably all of Sans' issues were his fault. His insomnia, his nightmares, his depression. That happened because Gaster left Sans all alone, right? After promising that Sans would never be alone, he up and vanished because of a stupid mistake. Now, whenever he looked in the mirror, he'd be constantly reminded of what he'd done. Honestly, his intentions didn't even matter. It didn't matter that he wasn't trying to disappear and leave Sans alone. It didn't matter that he would have given anything for that not to happen. Because now Sans was... Well. Worse for wear than what he would have been if Gaster would have just gone home, and dealt with the mess in the morning, when he, Sans and Alphys were all at work. When someone could have saved him from his own fuck up.

He should have just gone home. Should have left the lab with Sans and made bad jokes with him on the Ferry ride home. Gone home and helped Papyrus with his homework. Played with toy guns with Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne. Watched a movie with Sans. Anything, anything other than stay in that lab all by himself. He was so, so ignorant... And now Sans was paying for it. 

Deciding he hated the dark more than not being able to sleep, Gaster sat up in bed. He was overthinking again. This happened so much around Sans. Could you blame him? There was a lot to think about when it came to Sans. Like his health, which had only gotten worse over the past four years. His depression, which Gaster wanted nothing more than to go away. His insomnia, which should fuck right off with the depression, though before he showed up, he was sure insomnia and depression were having a party. They probably invited anxiety, too. Sans had never been the bravest, but now he seemed to jump at his own shadow. He seemed haunted by something, and Gaster couldn't tell what. 

Stars, his headache was only getting worse. He needed some air. 

He went down the stairs slowly and quietly, trying his best not to make any noise. It was five in the morning, after all. Everyone else was asleep. Or, at least, that's what he thought, because as he reached the back porch, he saw a familiar tuft of brown hair and a red scarf. Papyrus... What was he doing up...? The former scientist opened the door, and the younger male's head turned quickly to look at whoever was there. His spirits seemed to drop at seeing that it was Gaster, and he couldn't even blame Papyrus. He would have wanted it to be Sans, too. Upon seeing that it was just Gaster, Papyrus frowned a bit, and then looked back at whatever it was had his undivided attention before he'd shown up. He closed the door behind him. "Can't sleep?" 

Papyrus shook his head. "Not really, no."

Gaster sat at the table and looked out at the stars. He didn't care how cheesy it sounded. The stars just weren't as bright without Sans. "Me, either."

Papyrus wrapped his arms around himself, and Gaster wanted to ask if he was cold, but then decided it was a stupid question. No, he grew up in a cold area. He was just upset. Justifiably so. "Can I ask you something...?"

"Go ahead," Gaster replied. Papyrus didn't say anything for a moment, and Gaster was about to encourage him to go on when he spoke up. 

"Do you ever... Get the feeling like you've been through something before...? Like... De Ja Vu, but weirder than that?" 

"I can't say that I have," Gaster replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I feel like I've been through something... Like this before...?" He said. "With Sans being really hurt, or almost dead, or maybe even actually dead, but... He's never been dead before, so I don't know why I would feel like that." 

Timelines. That was undoubtedly what Papyrus was talking about. Of course, he didn't know if Papyrus knew about timelines, or if his brother would want him to know about timelines, and Gaster himself didn't know all that much about timelines, either. All he knew was that, if it was a possibility, there was a universe with that outcome. "I'm not really sure what to tell you..." Gaster said. 

"I got the same weird feeling when I was talking to Asgore earlier, too," Papyrus said. "I was kinda... Scared of him, and mad at him, and I don't know why..." 

The former scientist had no idea where Papyrus was going with this, but he was sure it had something to do with some alternate universe out there. What was the likelihood that Sans had died, and Asgore had done something terrible in another universe? Probably pretty high. Of course, there'd never be any way of knowing which universe those things had happened in, would there...?

"Is that what's keeping you awake?"

Papyrus shrugged a little. "I guess." He said. "I'm... Mostly just worried about Sans, if I'm honest..." 

Of course he was worried. Why wouldn't he be worried? "I'm worried, too."

Papyrus doesn't say anything for a while, and neither does Gaster, which is honestly preferred. Gaster had never really been one to hold very long conversations with people he was unfamiliar with. Papyrus, even as much as he gave Gaster nostalgia from the days before the accident, was still someone he didn't really consider someone he knew. Sans was someone he knew. Asgore and Toriel were someone he knew. He'd never really clicked with Papyrus and Undyne long enough in order to really consider them friends. Acquaintances, sure, but friends? Not really.

And then, Gaster watches as Papyrus stands up a bit straighter, with his back still turned to him. He turns around and looks at Gaster thoughtfully, and the former scientist vaguely feels like he's on display, and he doesn't really like it, but he doesn't say anything. He just stares back at his partner's younger brother in confusion, waiting for Papyrus to say something. After a few moments, he finally says something. "So, this is happening because of the operation." It was more of a statement than a question. 

Gaster nodded. "That is correct."

"And Sans needs that piece back."

"Yes, he does." Where was he going with this...?

"But, you also need a piece in order to exist, yeah?" 

"Yeah..." Gaster said.

"I think I have an idea."

**_~~~~~_ **

They'd both stayed up the rest of the night, working out the details of Papyrus' plan. Gaster offered his knowledge wherever suitable, and Papyrus wrote the plan down on a flowery notepad. His handwriting was like chicken scratch, and if it weren't for the fact that Gaster himself had sloppy handwriting, he wouldn't have been able to read it. 

"Okay!" Papyrus said with enthusiasm, slamming the pen down on the table as he presented Gaster with the small piece of paper he'd filled. Gaster yawned as he began to read. It was probably like seven in the morning or something by now. "I think that this will work!!"

The concept of the plan was so simple that it had been basically right under their noses. Give Sans his soul piece back, and give Gaster a piece of someone else's soul so he could continue to be corporeal. In this case, Papyrus, being the only other person awake, and the one who had come up with this plan had volunteered. 

It made sense, honestly. Papyrus was probably as healthy as Sans wasn't. He was happy, and he had good hygiene, and he put the right things in his body and made sure to keep certain things out. He exercised, pretty often even, getting at least the recommended hour in every day, and sometimes even more, on days when he went to the gym with Undyne. Sans, on the other hand... Well, Sans went from hardly eating to eating too much, hardly sleeping to sleeping too much, and considered a bottle of ketchup a beverage. Needless to say, Sans wasn't in the best shape, and his younger brother was. 

Of course, Gaster was definitely a bit... Apprehensive about pulling this off. Sans was Falling Down. Would giving him his soul piece back even work...? Or, was he stuck like this until he finally... Well, he didn't want to finish that thought. He did, however, have another fleeting thought, as he looked up from the paper and looked at Papyrus who was grinning as if the plan had already worked and everything had already been sent back to normal if there even was such a thing as normal. "What do you think?"

The former scientist pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. "It's a good plan, Papyrus." He beamed at hearing that. "You should go inform Dr. Alphys about this."

"Aye aye, sir!!" Papyrus saluted, and then ran off- God, where'd he get the energy from- leaving Gaster on the back porch by himself. He took a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out.

_Stars, please let this work._


	16. Fifteen - Retry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster blames himself for what's going on with Sans, Sans has a nightmare, and they retry.

He somehow found it hard to stay awake, even as Papyrus loudly and gladly explained the plan to Alphys, but Gaster managed somehow to make it to the end of the conversation, even though he hadn't really been listening. His tired mind somehow registered the next few words out of her mouth. "A-alright, I think that might actually be possible!" Alphys said with a smile; she seemed almost relieved, which made sense. She probably felt guilty after all that this had happened to Sans. She had been the one to suggest the idea in the first place, and it had obviously backfired. Gaster made note to let her know at some point that there wasn't anyone at fault here. Even though they'd both known it couldn't have gone well, Sans had been fine for the first two weeks. It had looked like he was out of the woods. No one could have anticipated Sans getting... Well, as bad off as he was now, laying half dead on the couch in an almost coma-like state. This wasn't anyone's fault. 

He found it increasingly difficult to stay alert, given that he'd been awake all night, but soon, Alphys, Undyne, and Papyrus had talked more about the plan. Alphys couldn't do the switch today- she started work at ten in the morning and had to leave soon. It would have to wait until tomorrow, Sunday when she could do it on her day off. She would have done it today if she could, but she couldn't afford to lose her job, what with her girlfriend being in between jobs (Undyne had been banned so far from McDonald's, Arby's, Wendy's, Burger King, and a few other places that weren't fast food joints. She also wasn't allowed at the aquarium, which she said was her favorite job. You're not supposed to go in the fish tank, Undyne, that's how you get banned from the aquarium. This is all your fault, Undyne. This is why Friendly's and the dentist's office don't want you there anymore).

"Uh, Dr. Gaster?"

The former scientist blinked and looked at Papyrus, who looked... Mildly concerned. "Yes?"

"You kind of spaced out there for a minute," Papyrus said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just a bit tired, I think," Gaster said. Papyrus took one look at him and decided his brother's partner must have been exhausted. The whites of his eyes were red, and he looked like he'd been struggling to stay awake, and then he remembered that Gaster had stayed up all night, as well, and even he, the Great Papyrus, felt a bit out of it. A good night's sleep was very important!

"You should go rest, Dr. Gaster, sir!! So that when Sans is awake, you will also be awake! Getting enough rest every night is very important, and, erm, since you didn't get any sleep last night, you should catch up!"

Honestly, he normally would have powered through his exhaustion. Sans had yelled at him before for staying up for days on end. Told him he needed sleep, his body needed rest so that it could function properly, and he used to tell him,  _"Nonsense, I'll sleep tomorrow."_

_"It is tomorrow, Gaster!"_

_"It's not tomorrow until I sleep."_

Right now, he felt...

_"Eh, don't worry about me, doc." A lazy grin slipped onto his assistant's face. "I'm just a bit" He winked, "bone tired." And then summoned a bone with his magic._

"Yes, I think I'll do that," Gaster said. Papyrus, seemingly finished with the conversation grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger by the door- hey, was that the same coathanger from their house in Snowdin? Yeah, Sans was as tall as the lowest one on there. Same one. Small world. 

"I must leave now, for I have duties I must attend to!" Papyrus announced in his most jovial voice. "If Mettaton wakes up and you're still down here, could you tell him I said goodbye? He's usually awake by now, but he must be being a lazybones!"

"If I see him, I will tell him you said goodbye," Gaster said. He was tired. He just wanted to go to sleep. 

"Alright, thank you very much, Dr. Gaster, sir! I hope you have a lovely nap!!" 

"Thank you, Papyrus."

"Goodbye!!" And with that, Papyrus (unintentionally, of course) slammed the door behind him. Looking at the couch across from him, Gaster wished the slamming of the door would have woken Sans up, despite knowing that it wouldn't. He sighed a little. Of course, it couldn't be that easy... 

The former scientist laid down and faced towards the couch. He would have teleported, if not for the fact that he didn't really like the fact that he had that ability by now, and for the fact that using magic when tired was about as intelligent as pining after your married boss or using a machine that had negative effects when the fuel tank was empty. Wow, he'd made some questionable choices, hadn't he...? Some more recent than others. 

No, don't think about that. Don't think about the sting in your chest when you told him you liked him like that, and he told you he was married, and you told him you knew that, that you just wanted him to know, don't think about the mind-numbing panic you felt the last five seconds you'd been real, and try not to think back as far as you could to try to determine if it was a good choice or not to even make that damned machine have a fuel tank in the first place. Nevermind the fact that you could have used some other kind of energy source, like batteries, or wind, or maybe even fucking puppy powered or something. Just don't think about any of it, and especially don't think of how your brothers would have reacted when you disappeared if they'd been alive. 

Gaster couldn't sleep. Fun. He sat up, rubbing blearily at his wet eyes. He didn't remember starting to cry, so this was news to him. He sniffled a bit. Stars, where had he gone wrong with that machine in the first place...? He and Sans worked on it for months, he'd been working on it for years, even. Thought he had everything down to a science, a formula, a calculation.It had all just gone so wrong, and he would never even know why. 

And now, nearly five years later, someone was still paying for his mistakes. Because there Sans lay, Fallen Down on the couch across from him, and who was to say that this plan would even work? Who was to say that Sans would definitely wake up if given this piece of his soul back? His soul had been barely able to even keep  _him_  going, maybe it's finally past the point of repair, even if given to its original owner. Maybe Sans just Fell Down because his soul was literally incapable of maintaining him anymore. 

He wrapped his arms around himself, pulling his legs to his chest and letting his face sink into the fabric of his turtleneck. This was all his fault... If anything  _did_  happen to Sans, it would be all his fault.

_**~~~~~** _

Alphys and Undyne always walked home together. Undyne didn't have a job, and all she did all day was run errands for the household. When she finished said errands, she'd go and wait outside of Alphys' job so she could walk her home, given how anxious her girlfriend got walking home alone. So, when the small blonde walked out of the building and looked around, she was glad but not at all surprised to spot the tall redhead. Undyne spotted her and Alphys walked over. "Hey, babe, how was work?" Undyne asked, flashing a toothy grin. 

"It was good," Alphys answered. Undyne slipped her fingers through her smaller girlfriend's hand, and they started walking home. 

"Me and Paps are gonna try to make something different tonight," Undyne said. "I think he wants to try to make lasagna." 

"He sure does like pasta," Alphys said. Undyne nodded in reply. 

When they finally got home, Undyne pulled her keys out of her pocket and opened the door, holding it open. "Ladies first." She said, gesturing towards the door.

Alphys giggled. "Why, thank you, madam." She walked through the door, and Undyne followed behind her, closing the door. 

And then they both went sill in their tracks at the sight before them. 

"Oh, my god."

Meanwhile, Alphys quietly squealed to herself. Because Gaster was asleep, cuddled up to Sans, who, mind you was still Fallen Down- but if you ignored that part, it kinda looked like they'd just fallen asleep like that.  Gaster had one arm wrapped around Sans' torso, the other one resting in his hair, fingers tangled in blue and orange fluff. He still had his glasses on. 

"Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, that's so c-cute...!" Alphys whisper-screamed. 

"Nerds," Undyne said. 

Really, though, she had a feeling that Sans would have appreciated Gaster's gesture if he was able to. 

_**~~~~~~~~~~** _

_His body felt like lead, legitimately. Of course, when he opened his eyes and saw the familiar red walls and the stained ceiling tiles, he was going to panic- this was his room in Snowdin, what was he doing here? Had Frisk broken their promise and reset? He sat up in bed, looking around the room. Purple and cyan carpet, treadmill in the middle of the room, self-sustaining trash tornado in the corner- yup, this was most definitely his room. He pinched himself, but didn't feel anything._

_Okay, he thought to himself. Just a dream. Or, more accurately, probably a nightmare. Right, this wasn't so bad. He was used to something like this. This nightmare was actually a common one. He knew exactly what would happen._

_Everything went as scripted. Papyrus came to wake him up and told him to get ready for sentry duty. "We mustn't dawdle!" His brother announced in his usual, cheery voice. "Come on, brother, get ready! Monsters aren't going to wait to get captured!!"_

_Sans rolled out of bed and pulled his jacket on. The next few minutes were boring, and nothing out of the ordinary. He ate breakfast spaghetti with Papyrus- it tasted like shit, his brother's cooking had been far from edible when they were still Underground. Papyrus yelled at him to pick up his sock, and Sans ignored that entirely. Papyrus walked him to his sentry station, and then skipped off to his own, leaving Sans alone at his station at the edge of the woods near the Ruins door. Fun..._

_Of course, the first thing that always tipped him off the kid was here was the way the door creaked open loudly. It was a really big door, so he always heard it. The door slammed behind the kid, and Sans could feel the blood in his veins freeze. It was one of those runs. Of course. Sighing, he waited a few seconds before teleporting into the forest where he hid in the darkness and watched Frisk move forward. Their once white fur was stained with dirt and blood, and a bandage barely held onto them, also stained with blood. They held a toy knife in their hand._

_"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" He said as they stopped at the bridge. They turned around before he could tell them to, and they shook his hand, an unamused expression on their face when the whoopee cushion went off._

_"Guess that's settled, then!" Papyrus had said when Sans answered his question of 'Did you find a monster??' with a 'Yup.'_

_The kid slaughtered as they walked through, and they of course entirely ignored Papyrus' puzzles. Sans felt his blood boil in rage, but he kept his permanent smile in place._

_He told Frisk, of course, that they would regret it if they did anything to his brother. He vanished before they could even blink, standing at the edge of the forest, only a mere few feet away from where his brother stood in wait for the monster. Papyrus fumbled nervously with his gloves. Papyrus, as always, didn't even notice Sans was there, which was probably for the best._

_And, of course, Sans didn't expect the pang in his chest as the small monster brought their knife down, slashing across his brother's neck as he fell to his knees in the snow, the fog clearing so Sans could see every detail. No, no, no, no, no...! He was supposed to be used to this by now, this wasn't supposed to bother him, he wasn't supposed to be crying-_

_And still, tears continued to blur his vision as Papyrus spoke his final words. The fact that Sans had memorized them probably just made it worse. "W-well, that's... not what I expected. Still...! You can do a little better! Even if you don't think so... I promise..."_

"H-his heart rate is going up, steadily!" Alphys had said a moment ago. Now they all watched in tense silence as she stitched the last part of the severed heart back on.

And then, Sans woke up.

Screaming. 


	17. Sixteen - I'm Okay (Trust Me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans wakes up and finally talks to Gaster about something that's been bothering him for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the chapter title was inspired by My Chemical Romance's I'm Not Okay. I'm emo to the extremo.

Eye flaring with magic, Sans shot up in the bed screaming just as Alphys finished the final stitch. She and everyone else watched as the heart monitor started going crazy- he had been at sixty bpm before, and now he was at one hundred fifty-five bpm- a large jump, and not at all healthy. Soon, though, as the initial shock passed, and his magic calmed down, he did, too. He looked around the room.

Oh... They were in the lab again. The True Lab, to be more specific. What...?

"U-um..." Alphys started after a long moment of silence. "How are you feeling, S-Sans...?" She asked cautiously. He was only now aware of how dry his throat was, and his voice came out just as hoarse as he figured it would. Just as quiet and small, too. 

"What happened?" He asked, head spinning.

"You Fell Down!" Papyrus answered loudly before anyone else could. "Next time you're about to pass out for five and a half says, you should warn someone!"

Five and a half days...?

Wait, something was missing-

"W-Where's Gaster?"

The question came out more panicked than he meant to, and when no one answered him for a moment, he was about to panic more- and then his brother spoke up. "Don't worry, he's in the next room sleeping!"

Sans would have sighed in relief if he hadn't been holding his breath. Plus, given the fact that he noticed his soul floating in front of him, whole, he had another question. "How...?"

Papyrus gladly summoned his own soul, and the orange organ floated in front of his chest. A nice, large chunk of it was chopped off. 

"Y-your brother offered since you w-weren't doing too well," Alphys said. "I did a physical, and he's very h-healthy- he could p-potentially share his soul with one other person, even now, and still be f-fine."

So... Papyrus had let Alphys chop off a piece of his soul... To give to Gaster, so Sans could have his soul piece back, and Gaster would still be around...? He honestly didn't even know what to say to that. 'Thank you' didn't quite cut it. "Oh..."

Papyrus grinned cheerily. "You're welcome, brother!!"

"Thanks, Paps..."

God, he was in pain. Alphys had been right. His entire body felt like someone had just started stabbing him with needles all over, and Alphys must have noticed his discomfort. "W-would you like some medicine? You w-were under, but then you, um... Woke up..."

He didn't say anything, only nodded before she got to work hooking him up to an IV drip of morphine. Thank god for drugs. 

Undyne silently sat in the corner of the room- probably only here as moral support for Papyrus and Alphys- as Papyrus fussed over him. "Sans lay back down!!! You should be resting!!"

"Don't have to tell me twice."

_**~~~~~** _

The next time he woke up, he found that he was still in the True Lab. His eyelids felt like lead as he opened them and looked around. Yup. Definitely the True Lab. Upon further inspection, however, he found that he wasn't the only one in the room- Papyrus and Gaster sat at a small circular table across the room, holding a conversation. They hadn't noticed he was awake yet. 

"And you're positive this is all gonna be fine?"

"Absolutely positively! There is no doubt in my mind at all. Dr. Alphys is brilliant, she really knows what she's doing. What happened last time was just, um, a mistake." Papyrus answered back. "However, she checked all of her work, and did very thorough testing beforehand, so I'm positive nothing bad will happen this time."

Optimistic, as always. On one hand, Sans envied his brother for being able to spot silver linings when all he could ever see was grey. Envied the energy Papyrus carried, envied him in a lot of ways. But, then, on the other hand, being prepared for any kind of shitstorm was never a bad thing, and since he wasn't as optimistic as his brother, he could spend more of his time being realistic. Being realistic was probably the best defense mechanism he had at his disposal. 

"I hope you're right..." Gaster had replied. Papyrus spotted Sans with his eyes open, so of course, he shot out of his seat and ran over to the side of the bed.

"Good morning, Sans! You're awake really early today!! Are you feeling better?" If the clock on the wall was correct, it was six in the morning... How did anyone have as much energy as Papyrus did at six in the morning? Sans swore his brother had caffeine running through his veins. Ironic, since he didn't even like caffeinated beverages.

"A little, I guess," Sans replied. He sat up on the bed, his joints stiff from having not moved for several hours. For a moment, he wanted to say something to Gaster- give him some sort of explanation- but the thought was gone as soon as it'd come, because he really didn't feel like having a conversation of any heavy sort around Papyrus, and he was still very much so in the room. It'd have to wait until later. 

The car ride home was basically silent. Undyne had gone home the night before, so now there was only Alphys, Gaster, Papyrus and himself in the car. Sans watched houses and trees pass by out the window. Papyrus was the first to say anything, and when he did, it was a game suggestion. So, now they were playing I Spy, even though Alphys was just getting more and more anxious the tenser the situation became, Gaster was becoming quieter and less imaginative with the things he was choosing to spy throughout the game, and Sans just wanted to fall asleep there and not wake up until they got home. Eventually, the game died down, and everyone was silent, and everyone wordlessly agreed that tense silence was worse than tense noise. Still, no one said anything until they started pulling into the driveway. "P-Papyrus, Undyne told me to let you know when we got home that she needs some h-help cleaning out the basement." She muttered. 

"Okay," Papyrus said, oddly quiet. "I will... Get on that when we get in."

The former comedian had a feeling the reason everyone was being so awkward was because ignoring the obvious issues they'd had not more than twenty-four hours ago was getting a bit difficult, considering Sans and Papyrus both felt recently chopped, Alphys usually blamed herself or things that were out of her control (and still felt guilty for this whole mess), and Gaster... Well, he wasn't really sure what was wrong with Gaster. All he knew was that the former scientist was being more distant and quiet than usual, and admittedly, he had a feeling he knew why- and he was dreading it becoming a conversation topic. And yet, just by the way Gaster avoided eye contact and stared at the window in a complete daze... He could tell it was gonna end up becoming a conversation topic. 

You know that feeling, when you're making your way to your bedroom exhausted, dragging yourself up the stairs, your legs feeling glued to the floor and numb? And the more steps you climb, the more exhausted you are? Yeah, imagine that with tense silence. As Sans and Gaster both dragged themselves up the two flights of stairs to their room, they did it in absolute silence, the only sound being ones that were made by other people in the house, and the creak of the floorboards under their heavy, weary feet. When they finally reached their shared room, Gaster closed the door behind them before flopping on the bed next to where Sans had a moment ago. 

"Are... You okay...?"

Gaster looked at him like he'd spoken in some alien language and not English. "Am  _I_  okay?" He asked. "What about you? You're the one who..."

"Almost died." Sans finished Gaster's sentence. "But, see, I'm here, right? So, I'm okay. I just don't know if I can say the same for you."

"Sans," Gaster said, sitting up on the bed. His former assistant looked up at him. "You could have  _died_."

"I know, Gaster." He sat up as well. "But, I didn't. So, what's eating at you?"

The former scientist struggled to find words for a moment. "You can't just expect me to move on from a scare like that so quickly." He said. "I- We all thought the worst, Sans. Your brother was worried, I was worried, Toriel was worried." 

Sans only shrugged. "You warned me, I didn't listen. It's my own fault any of that happened. I probably should have listened to you and Alphys when you both said I wasn't physically capable of doing something like that, but I did it anyway."

Gaster sighed as if he didn't know what to say in reply to that. So, for a long while, he didn't. "Flawed, hasty, desperate planning. We were desperate when we made the plan, so we didn't take time to think about possible consequences. We're lucky you're still even here."

His tone was soft, and almost angry, though the feeling wasn't directed at him, and he could tell. "It's no one's fault but mine," Sans said again. "Let's just ignore that any of that ever happened, okay...? It's over, no one's hurt, we're both still here... No harm, no foul, right...?"

He really didn't want to continue to have this conversation right now. He'd give anything for a conversation topic change. But, Gaster didn't seem to budge. "Please," He said, "Just don't ever be that reckless and thoughtless again. It might not end up 'no harm, no foul' next time."

"There won't be a next time," Sans said. "I know better now." He watched as Gaster's muscles untensed, and the former scientist looked so, so much more exhausted now. 

"I heard that you woke up screaming..." Oh, a conversation topic change. Too bad he didn't want to talk about this either. "Did you have a nightmare...?"  
  
"Yeah..." Sans answered. Gaster wasn't exactly a stranger to Sans having nightmares. He'd had them frequently even when they'd been living in Snowdin together, before... Well, they got worse after that. So, what was the point of even denying it if it was something Gaster was already aware of?

"What was it about...?" He asked. 

Oh. Well, shit, what to say to that? 'Oh, you know, nothing that bad. Just watching my brother die for like the thousandth time, don't worry about me'? Yeah, no, that wouldn't sit right. Not to mention saying anything about watching Papyrus die would probably be detrimental to Gaster; he  _did_  watch his brothers die, and they couldn't just come back to life after a reset like Papyrus had more times than Sans could count on his hands even if he had an extra pair. He shifted on the mattress. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Are you sure...?"

What the hell was he even supposed to say here? Was it really a smart thing to do to not tell anyone? Sure, Gaster hadn't been there when the kid happened, but... He hadn't been there before they'd met, either, and he still told him about that. And... He had to admit, it'd probably be easier to deal with it if someone besides him and the kid knew what happened. He could never tell his brother, but Gaster... 

The former scientist was about to open his mouth and say something, probably along the lines of 'you don't have to if you don't want to', given that Sans was taking a while to reach a decision, but Sans cut him off. "The kid, Frisk...?" He said.

"What about them?"

"They, umm... They have this weird ability to mess around with time. They fell into the Underground a little while after you disappeared, and they were the last soul we needed, and they found a way to free everyone from the Underground... But, then they messed around with time, and it was like none of it ever happened...? And they went through the Underground... A couple hundred other times..."

Gaster looked unnerved. "So, they can just manipulate time at their own will...?"

"Not anymore, but they used to." He could just stop here. Maybe Gaster would just assume that the repetitiveness of being freed and trapped again would have driven him mad, and he could have nodded along, even though it was only half true; but given Gaster's expression, it looked as if he expected Sans to say something else, and so he figured he couldn't really play it off. He was in too deep now. Now, he needed to finish it. Where to even start...?

To be fair, it wasn't getting any easier with every passing second as Gaster's expression continued to shift into something more and more concerned and confused, but he couldn't find his voice for what felt like a million years. "The kid didn't always free people..." He said quietly. "Sometimes, they, um... Killed. Everything in their path...?" He followed the sentence up with a humorless laugh, and he didn't know why, but maybe a part of him just wanted desperately to not make a big deal out of it, as if that was a possibility anymore. Which it wasn't, since the moment he said it, Gaster went slightly pale. 

"And, uh, lucky me...!" Sans said, his voice shaking a little under the pressure. "I'm the only one who remembers it, just like I was the only one who remembered you...! A-And-" No, Sans, what were you doing? You weren't supposed to be having nightmares or tearing up, you're supposed to be used to this, supposed to be immune to it. "And I got to watch my brother die like half a th-thousand times, but, y-know..."

Fucking idiot, now his shoulders were shaking as he covered his face with his hands, and his breath hitched as he sobbed. Stupid, stupid... So fucking sensitive. It wasn't ever even gonna happen again, and here he was bawling like a baby. 

Obviously, Gaster wasn't fine with just watching him cry like that, so in a panic (since he just started bawling out of nowhere), the former scientist gently gripped Sans' shoulders which made him look up at him. Gaster pulled Sans towards him, wrapping his arms tightly around his partner's smaller frame. Sans hugged bag, fingers curling into the fabric of Gaster's sweater as he sniffled and tried to calm his sobs. 

He rested his head on the taller male's shoulder, and once he'd calmed down, for the most part, Gaster said, "Thank you, for telling me..."

Right, he would be thankful for being told something like that. After all, he'd told Sans already that he could tell him anything, and that he'd always be there for him. Although due to unfortunate circumstances, always had turned into... Well, whatever was between always and never, but more than sometimes, he still would want him to tell him anything. Not seeing each other for four years hadn't changed that. "The kid can't reset anymore, so... I'm just bein' a drama queen..." He laughed a little, though there wasn't anything to really laugh about. "It's not gonna happen again, I'm just bein' silly..."

"Sans... Come on, anyone would be bothered by something like that... It can't be easy to carry that kind of knowledge around with you..." Sans nodded into Gaster's shoulder, and the former scientist hugged him tighter. Stars, help him... "Do you at least feel a little better?"

"A little..." Sans admitted. He curled his fingers into the fabric of his partner's sweater more, his grip a bit tighter. "You're the only person I've ever told..." Gaster ran his fingers through the fluffy shave of Sans' hair, and the smaller male leaned into the touch. 

It was becoming a bit more apparent now to him that Sans might need a bit more help than he initially thought.


	18. Seventeen - Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shorter, slower paced chapter to slow things down for our boys. 
> 
> The beginning of this is mostly paragraphs with very little dialogue, sorry if that bothers anyone.

Admittedly, Gaster still wasn't used to waking up with sunlight (or light of any kind, really) in his face. He was still pretty adjusted to the vast darkness of the Void. So, when he woke up, he covered his eyes with his arm, trying to get the brightness of the morning sun out of his eyes. He felt a weight shift next to him, and peaking from under his arm, saw a blue and orange tuft of hair next to him. 

Yeah, as happy as he was about this, it was still gonna take a bit more time to get used to waking up next to Sans again. 

Speaking of Sans, the other seemed annoyed to not have arms wrapped around him anymore, and the reason he shifted on the bed was that he was trying to get closer to the human heater next to him; Gaster, in this case. Once Sans seemed satisfied, face pressed into Gaster's side, arms wrapped around him, he stopped stirring and went back to peacefully sleeping. The former scientist couldn't help but gawk at his smaller partner, cuz wow, that was adorable. He wrapped an arm back around Sans, keeping the other arm over his eyes to keep the invading sunlight out of his eyes. He decided to go back to sleep. Sans seemed content to stay asleep, too. 

_**~~~~~** _

How long had he been staring at the ceiling, waiting for Gaster to wake up...? He didn't know. He was, of course, surprised to see he was the first one awake out of the both of them. Gaster had always been an early riser, much to Sans' dismay. Right now, though, he was fast asleep, arm draped over his face, probably because the sun was too bright, and for some reason, he insisted on keeping the blackout curtains Sans was so fond of open to let said offending light in. Probably had something to do with the Void. He did describe that place as really dark. He must be having a hard time even adjusting to the fact that there was sunlight, given that up until this point in his life, he'd always been trapped somewhere. 

When he'd been awake for what felt like an hour and then some, Sans decided to look somewhere else than just the ceiling. He rarely took time to take in his surroundings, and he hadn't really paid attention even to the stuff in his room. Like that sock pile in the corner of the room. Had he put those there? Had they finally grown legs and walked away like Papyrus had said would happen one day? If socks did grow legs and walk away, did that mean they had minds of their own? Did they have feelings or families? Was he a monster for wearing mismatched socks, taking the pastel pink sock and the light blue sock away from their partners?

He was probably overthinking this. He needed something to distract himself. Gaster still wasn't awake. 

Speaking of Gaster... How many details, really, had he ever really noticed about him? Sans could create a picture of him in his head and had many times already, but there were things about the former scientist that changed. Like that small scar on the center of his forehead, he guesses where Gaster had hit his head on the way into the machine since Gaster had told him that that was what had happened. 

Or the scars on his eyes. Those had changed. The one on his left eye had only used to go down to his cheek, but now it went down to the corner of his mouth. The one on his right eye used to go to the edge of his hairline, and now it went all the way back to the top of his scalp. He still had no idea where those had originated from in the first place (probably his mother, damn that woman and everything she stood for). 

He'd noticed this before, but now, with nothing to do, Sans took notice of the several scars on Gaster's arms. Cigarette burns, self-harm scars; there looked, even, to be places where something small and sharp had been dug into his flesh and wriggled around. A nail, or a screw, maybe? Something like that. He didn't know where those had come from, either. He had a bad feeling, though, that those were self-inflicted, too. 

He must have been poking and prodding his partner a bit too much, perhaps, since Gaster made an annoyed sound before moving his arm away from his face and turning his head to look at Sans. "Did I wake you...?"

Gaster rubbed his eyes tiredly. "No, I woke up on my own." He answered with a yawn. Though, Sans didn't really believe that. Gaster was the lightest sleeper he'd ever met. Sometimes, if Sans breathed too hard next to him, he'd wake up. He was sure Gaster was just trying to spare his feelings. It was the thought that counted. 

"You slept in, a little bit," Sans said.

Gaster shrugged. "I was awake earlier, I just decided to go back to sleep."

"Lazybones," Sans replied. Gaster gently punched his arm before sitting up in bed and stretching. "What are we gonna do today?"

"We should probably work on getting jobs, you know. A steady income never hurt anyone." Gaster said. Sans frowned.

"Ehh..." He whined half-heartedly. "Uh, tibia honest, I don't really think I'm cut out to have a job. I'd be lucky to even get hired at a Burger King."

Right, Sans didn't have any credentials. Nothing to his name but a birth certificate, a social security number, and one job on his resume that he just... Stopped showing up to after what happened. None of that would look good to a future employer. The only reason Gaster had hired him in the first place was so that Asgore would get off his back about how he needed help around the lab. If it hadn't been for that, they probably wouldn't have ever even worked together at all, since Gaster would have turned him away otherwise.

Huh... He'd never thought of that.

After noticing he hadn't replied in a while, and Sans was starting to look a bit concerned about his silence, he spoke. "Well, then, I at least need a job. I don't think I'm capable of staying in the house all day and not making money." He said. "Not that there's anything wrong with that." He added quickly, not wanting Sans to get the wrong idea and think that was an insult. "I just personally don't work that way."

Sans shifted uncomfortably on the bed a bit. "Maybe I could sign up for online schooling, or somethin'...?"

"That sounds like a good idea, but it might be difficult. They might try to put you through at least high school before they'd let you into a college."

Sans nodded. "Figured as much..."

Gaster stood from the bed. "You don't have to rush into this if you don't want to, you know. " He said, walking over to the closet to pick out a clean sweater. It sure was handy of Sans to keep all his clothes. He had issues often finding the right size. Clothing companies didn't really tailor to tall and lanky people like him.

"I just kinda wanna get it done and over with, so I can actually be useful in some way," Sans replied.

"You do know I'm completely fine with being the only one employed, right? You don't have to get a job just to prove that you're useful."

"I don't wanna be a free-loader..." Sans said.

"You wouldn't be a free-loader," Gaster said. "You can pay me back with companionship. I think you're more than capable and more than happy to do that."

Sans nodded a little, though, he didn't look convinced. "If you're sure..."

He pulled a clean, grey sweater over his head before shoving his arms into the sleeves. "Yes, I'm sure." He said.

"I still kinda wanna get an education, though..."

"If you want to get an education, then do so," Gaster replied. "We have a lot more options up here than we did down there. Nothing's stopping you."

"Yeah..." Sans said. "No stupid magical barriers."

The former scientist could tell Sans still wasn't sure about this entire thing. He understood entirely what the other must be going through right now. The pressure to try to become a functioning member of society after not even being a part of society for several years... Was something they could both honestly understand. "Let's talk more about this later." He said. Sans already seemed to visibly relax. "We've got all the time in the world."

_**~~~~~** _

It was noon, and the house was buzzing with excitement. There was no school today (some weird monster holiday, most businesses were closed down today), and Papyrus didn't have work, and Undyne already didn't have anything better to do with her time (in hindsight, she really shouldn't have gotten into the tank with the rest of the fish, she'd remember that if any aquarium ever wanted to hire her ever again), so the children, Papyrus and Undyne were playing with Nerf Guns. It was sickeningly sweetly familiar.

"You'll never take me alive!" Chara declared. They had managed to take down Frisk and Asriel, and Undyne had come close to getting them several times. They didn't seem fond of that outcome.

Meanwhile, on the calmer side of things; Mettaton was in the kitchen making lunch, Toriel was knitting something, and Alphys was reading a book about chemistry. Probably because she majored in medical, physics and engineering. She could use the knowledge of chemistry. It wasn't her strong suit.

Admittedly, Gaster wasn't very good at chemistry, either. He had a degree in medical science, magic science, physics, engineering, and astronomy. Sans was good at quantum physics and astrology, as well as a bit of biology. He was mediocre at best at chemistry. It was a good thing they never really tampered with that field of science in the lab, honestly. Something even worse than what did end up happening could have happened if they had tried. None of them knew anything about it at all.

Sans returned from the kitchen with a mug in his hands and handed it to Gaster before sitting next to him. Gaster took a sip from the cup before deciding that, yes, Sans did still know how to make a great cup of coffee. "Three sugar, two cream. Just how you like it." Sans even said to boot, which just one hundred percent confirmed he knew what he was doing. He remembered how Gaster liked his coffee. Such a small, insignificant detail...

Gaster didn't reflect on it much, but damn was he lucky to have Sans. "Thank you." He said. He set the mug on the coffee table in front of them and leaned back in the seat, watching the children and the overgrown children play with Nerf guns.

"You're welcome," Sans said. He sounded so genuine, so happy to have his work appreciated, and overall, he just seemed to be in a good mood.

Gaster had to admit... He really liked the surface, and he really liked being on the surface with Sans. 


	19. Eighteen - Over My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster has a bad day, some fresh air, a smoke break, and something to tell Sans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda rushed through writing this and didn't really know where I wanted it to go, but after some struggle, I decided on this slow paced, melancholy piece of shit you're about to read. Enjoy, or some shit like that.

_**2 Years Ago** _

Dark, darker, yet darker. The darkness stretched further than you could see, infinite, and cold, and lonely. But, this was what he was used to. Darkness, solitude, silence...

The screen rarely held any entertainment. The only thing to ever watch on the damn thing was the alternate universes. His universe rarely showed up, and so his interest was all but nonexistent. Like him. Every now and then, though, he'd get a glimpse of his universe, of his king, of the other people who lived in the Underground- and when he was lucky...

Seeing the familiar face on the screen, Gaster basically leaped up, tripping over his own feet as he ran over to get a closer look.

"Marco!"

"Polo!" Sans yelled back to his brother. Papyrus came running down the stairs and greeted his older brother with a hug, and Sans returned the gesture.

"How was work, brother?" Papyrus asked.

Sans shrugged. "Eh, it was work. Sentry duty isn't really my thing, y'know." Yeah, sentry duty didn't seem like anything Sans would have liked...

"You just gotta get used to working again," Papyrus said optimistically. "And if you find a monster, we'll only need one more soul to break the barrier."

They only needed one more soul...? They'd had two the last time he was there... Four more monsters had fallen...? Either way, Sans didn't seem too happy about the whole ordeal. "I don't think I'm gonna be the one to find the next monster soul, Pap. My days of being a part of that goal are kinda over."

Gaster watched intently. He never knew how long the screen would focus on Sans, and it was nice to know how he was doing... Papyrus looked at his brother with this look that was a mix of concern, and... sadness. "Brother, do you miss your old job?"

Sans didn't look sure how to answer. "Uh, yeah. The job. I miss it, alright. You know me, I'm a total science junkie. I miss working in the field."

"Then, why'd you quit...?"

Did... He remember...? No, that was absurd. But the look on his face... He was trying his best to cover it up with a grin, but Gaster knew better. He had to remember. There's no other reason he would look like that. Why did he have to see him like this...? Why couldn't the screen focus on Sans when he was happy? Why was this the way he was every time Gaster got a brief glimpse?

"I, uh..." Sans cleared his throat. "It just wasn't working out, heheh... I wasn't really good at my job." That was bullshit. Sans had been better at his job sometimes than Gaster was at his- and he'd been the Royal Scientist. You know, the boss. The person in charge. And Sans was still better at his job. He shrugged and winked. "So, what's the point in trying if you're just gonna fail?"

"Sans, that's not healthy," Papyrus replied with a frown, crossing his arms. The older brother shrugged again.

"Oh, well."

_**~~~~~ Present Day ~~~~~** _

His eyes had been transfixed on his cup of coffee for like ten minutes now. At first, Sans didn't think anything of it. But then one minute turned into five, and five into ten, and he was already worried by minute two, but something had told him to leave Gaster be, to let him think since that's what it looked like he was doing. But, now... Now, he just looked... Hollow. Like someone had taken his mind and left an empty shell. He still looked and moved and breathed like a person, but he stared blankly, like some sort of off switch had been flipped after he stared down into his cup.

The worst thing was Sans didn't even know how to fix it.

"Gaster...?" No response. Sans poked his shoulder. "Gast?"

Nothing, and now the others were taking notice of Gaster's current state, pausing what they were doing to watch Sans try to snap him out of whatever he was in. Which meant they were gonna keep staring. Which meant once Gaster was out of it, he got the pleasure of being stared at. Great. Way to go, Sans. Sans shook him a little, gently. "Dings."

He blinked a few times before he looked up from the cup, looking at Sans a bit confused, and then looking around the room a bit more confused looking as he noticed all the eyes trained on him. He looked back to Sans. He looked... Worried. "You okay...?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Gaster asked. His eyes darted around the room another time before he looked back at Sans.

"You zoned out..." Sans said. "For like ten minutes."

"I'm fine." The former scientist said. "I just have a lot on my mind."

_**~~~~~** _

He needed fresh air, was all. That was what he told Sans. "I'm going out on the back porch for some air, I think."

"Okay," Sans replied. "Take your time."

He could tell he wasn't going to have this time alone when he looked through the glass door and saw someone else on the back porch, but air was air, regardless of whether you were sharing it with someone else or not. He opened the door, and when he did he caught the attention of Mettaton, who looked behind himself to see Gaster. He turned where he stood as Gaster closed the door. The former scientist didn't know what to say, so he decided to just... Wave a little.

God, he was so awkward. Shoot him. Shoot him and put him out of his misery, someone, please. Mettaton took a drag on the cigarette held between his fingers as he waved back. "Everything alright?"

Why was everyone so concerned about him today? You zone out a couple times, and people treat you like you just broke down crying. He nodded. "Just needed some air." He walked over next to where Mettaton was standing. "I didn't know you smoked."

"Papyrus doesn't like it," Mettaton said with a shrug. "But, old habits do die hard." This conversation wasn't even going anywhere, but it'd be awkward to just stand out here in silence. "What about you, Doctor? Any bad habits you can't kick?"

Was he actually interested in knowing that? He couldn't understand anyone having any interest in him. Hell, he'd had a hard time believing it when Sans has sent that drunk text six years ago. "I started smoking when I was fifteen." He said. "I quit, but every now and then..."

Mettaton took a small cardboard box out and flipped the lid up, holding it towards Gaster. "Need a pick me up?"

Oh. Oh, he shouldn't do this... He really shouldn't. "I'm, uh, not certain what Sans would think about that."

"It's not Sans' body, it's yours." He replied casually. "I'm a firm believer that people can do what they want, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else."

Well... He was having a bad day today, admittedly. Too many thoughts swirling around in his head, too many thoughts screaming at once. And Mettaton had a point, though Gaster had never thought the TV star would ever be this down to earth. He usually seemed so over the top. This was so mundane. Arguably, though, it was peer pressure... "Ah, fuck it," Gaster muttered. He accepted the offering and Mettaton handed him a pink, sparkly lighter.

The second he took a drag, it felt like his throat and lungs were on fire. He choked on the smoke as it came out in uneven puffs with every hack. Come to think of it, though, that was the reason he started in the first place. The burn was almost comforting. So, the second drag, although harsher because he got too ambitious to feel that familiar comforting burn and dragged too hard, he exhaled slowly, closing his eyes.

Mettaton put his cigarette out on the porch railing before flicking the butt ((Hehe)) in some random direction. "Thanks," Gaster mumbled, his gratitude as lackluster as it was late.

"No problem, darling," Mettaton replied. He leaned back on the railing and looked around. "So, how long have you and Sans known each other, anyway?"

"Six years."

"And you were gone for...?"

"Four of those years."

Mettaton nodded slowly, probably trying to do the math or come to an understanding of some sort. "Papyrus made it sound like you two were together much longer than that."

Gaster shook his head. "No. If you cut out the time I wasn't here, we've only been together for a year and a half."

"You two are cute together," Mettaton said. "Sans is about as emotional as a potato, normally, but with you around..."

"There's still things he won't even tell me."

"As I'm sure there are things you haven't told him."

Okay, that...! Was true. He hadn't told Sans a lot of things. Like... His past crush on his ex-boss, or how exactly his brothers had met their untimely demise, or even how he'd gotten the holes in his hands. And there were a lot of other things he hadn't told him. Mettaton took his elongated silence as a confirmation.

"I'm not really gonna claim to know you since this is the first conversation we're really having, but," Mettaton started, "I think you should both be more open with each other. I don't know why you're the way you are, but Sans is like that because he had to give up caring about his own well being for his brother. He didn't have time to worry about his emotional state. Or, at least, that's what Papy and I think." He shrugged. "Either way, his brother is an adult now, and ignoring that stuff is a good way to drive yourself mad. Sans needs help. Everyone knows it. Even Sans knows it. He just won't ask for the help he needs."

So much for coming out here to relax. Now he had all this to think about. "If everyone knows it, why are you telling me...?" Truth be told, he did know it, too.

"Papy's been worried." He answered. "And, as much as Sans despises me, I don't exactly want him to pull anything stupid. And his brother's worried that's what'll happen if he keeps going the way he is. I figured you'd have a better chance at getting him to talk than anyone else."

"... I'll try." Gaster replied. He took another drag off the cigarette, though a lot of it had burned away to ash now, and the burn wasn't as comforting as it had been.

"Glad to hear it, darling." Mettaton walked back in the house without another word, and Gaster felt the smoke was making him sick to his stomach. Or maybe it was because what Mettaton had said was sickeningly true. Either way, he put the cigarette out and shoved the rest of it in his pocket for later.

_**~~~~~** _

It was midnight before Sans announced he was going to bed, and at which point, Gaster decided to join him. The stairs to the third floor. "Jeez, I'm dead tired."

"How are you tired?" Gaster asked.

"Papyrus." He answered. "Watching him makes me tired. He has too much energy."

...

Okay, yeah, Papyrus really was way too hyper, and watching him go about his daily life was a mistake if you wanted to be able to go on with your own day. He could have run circles around a cheetah and made it tired. "Is this something that happens often? Watching Papyrus made you tired last week, too."

"Yeah," Sans replied.

That was troubling, to say the least. The only question, now, of course, was how was he supposed to fix this? He wasn't qualified to do this, he didn't even know how to fix himself. The last thing Gaster wanted right now was to be responsible for someone else's health when he clearly wasn't doing well enough for himself. Sans yawned before pulling some clothes out of the closet. At least he was making an effort to change his clothes before bed... He usually would have just gone to bed in his normal clothes.

Halfway through changing into sleepwear, the shorter male noticed he was being watched and looked up at his partner, eyebrow raised with a quizzical expression. "What's up...?"

Gaster shook his head. "Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Sans didn't look too convinced, but he didn't push. If Gaster didn't wanna talk, he didn't wanna talk. That was just that. So, he got dressed of the way, and Gaster decided against changing his clothes, as hypocritical as it was to worry about Sans when he didn't put the effort in only to not put the effort in himself. He did, however, take off his sweater so he was only wearing a tee shirt before crawling into the bed next to Sans.

The former scientist and his former assistant both shifted until they were comfortable as one of Gaster's magic hands worked to turn off the lamp. They got comfortable meer moments after the light had turned off and darkness had engulfed the room in a similar way to the Void. "Goodnight, Gast," Sans said with a yawn.

"Goodnight, Sans."

Gaster didn't get to sleep very fast that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This is Felix, the writer. How's everyone enjoying this so far? Got any comments, or questions? Wanna ramble to me about your favorite charcters, or your theories for the book? Feel free to message me at any of these places!
> 
> Twitter - CrimsonFandom  
> Tumblr - crimsonfandomtrash OR crimsonfantrash  
> Wattpad - CrimsonFandomTrash (you can also check out a few of my other works there, wink wink, knudge, knudge).  
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> Discord - CrimsonFanTrash
> 
> I'd also like to say Happy Birthday to my partner DJ (Imfamous2p)! Thanks for putting up with me :p I love you. I hope you had a good birthday. 
> 
> Either way, that's all I gotta say. Remember to leave a kudos, comment, and follow me, if you want. Bye.


	20. Nineteen - Plot Holes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finally gets some answers, and so does Gaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took so long to write this, I've been sick for the past couple days and I've been trying to sleep it off. Needless to say, it hasn't worked. So, despite still feeling like I'm close to death 24/7, I decided to suck it up and work on this. 
> 
> The name of this chapter is a joke. Plot Holes. Which I'm sure this story has a lot of, but it's also because we get some answers about how Gaster got the holes in his hands, and that's obviously important to the plot of this chapter. So. Plot Holes. Idk, I thought it was funny. I'm probably the only one.

"MOTHER OF FUCK!"

Faster than you could say 'glamburger' ten times fast, Sans was on his feet and rushing into the kitchen where the source of the profanity had come from. He nearly lost his lunch at the sight, blood spewing from his partner's hand freely like some sick kind of fountain. Papyrus, curious, rushed alongside his brother to see what the issue was, and was also a bit disgusted.

Despite his nausea, Sans rushed over to Gaster. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I-I'm fine, just... busted my hand off the counter," Gaster answered.

Sans immediately took to caring for him, gently grabbing his boyfriend's injured hand. Gaster winced a little, sucking some air in through his teeth as he tried to ground himself. Sans poured all the healing magic he could muster into the injury, though it was very apparent to everyone involved that Sans wasn't really the best at healing magic. "Should I get the first aid kit?" Papyrus asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Sans replied. Papyrus rushed off to go get the first aid kit as Sans continued to focus on pouring the green magic into Gaster's hand. The other seemed to fidget with his uninjured hand, tapping on the counter, clenching and unclenching his hand, flexing the fingers. "Would you, um..." He paused. "Like some help changing the bandages...?"

Gaster nodded a little as Papyrus rounded the corner and came into the room with the first aid kit, a small, red box with a plus sign on it. He handed it to Sans. "Thanks, Pap." He said.

"You're welcome," Papyrus replied. He left the room hesitantly, and before Sans could open the first aid kit-

"N-not here," Gaster said quietly. Sans looked at him for a moment, confused, before realizing why it was Gaster didn't want to do that in here. The kitchen was very open. Not very many walls to hide behind or a door to close for privacy. He grabbed a few paper towels from the roll before carefully wrapping Gaster's currently very bleeding hand with them.

"Just hold those there while we walk, okay?" Sans said. Gaster nodded again, not really up for much conversation, understandably, as they made their way out of the kitchen and started up the stairs. Both of them could feel concerned eyes on their backs.

When they finally reached their room, Sans and Gaster sat on the floor. Gaster didn't hesitate to hold out his injured hand for Sans to work on, and the smaller male did so, unwrapping the paper towels that were already partially soaked in blood before trying to find where the bandage stopped. Once he finally found the end, he carefully pulled at the sticky fabric, earning some pained looks from Gaster as he removed the bandages. "Sorry..." Sans muttered quietly.

"Not- nngh- not your fault," Gaster said. He gritted his teeth together as Sans continued to take the soiled bandages off.

He'd always known about the holes in his partner's hands, but he never really expected to be seeing them anytime soon. Yet, here he was, looking at scarred skin tissue and emptiness where muscles and bones should have been. It looked sickening, and yet, he wasn't as bothered as he thought he should have been. Parts of the scarred skin tissue had broken open when Gaster's hand made contact with the counter, and so there were spots in the hole where blood flowed freely through the new injuries. It was a wonder how Gaster could even use his hands...

He stopped staring and pulled rubbing alcohol and a rag out of the first aid kit. "This is gonna suck..." Sans warned.

"Yeah, I know," Gaster replied. Sans took the cap off the bottle and drenched the rag with the rubbing alcohol. He gently held Gaster's injured hand in one of his hands, and the rag in the other before carefully starting to clean the wounds, all while Gaster's uninjured hand gripped into the fabric of his jeans and held his breath. Sans silently cleaned the wounds, and after he finished, he pulled out some antibiotic cream and gently applied that to the wounds.

"How did you get these...?" He asked.

The last time he'd asked, he hadn't even seen the holes in his partner's hands yet, and Gaster had told him it was an accident.

Gaster swallowed and answered quietly. "Sh-she did it." He said. "I came home with B's instead of A's, so she took a cookie cutter, a-and..."

"Jesus fucking Christ..." Sans said. He really wanted to meet Gaster's mother so he could punch her in her ugly face. But, she was already locked up forever for two counts of murder and three counts of child abuse, so that would have to do. At least she was somewhere where Gaster would never have to see her again. He took out the roll of bandaging and started wrapping his boyfriend's hand back up.

Gaster bit his nails on his uninjured hand, and as Sans finished up wrapping his hand in the bandaging, he pulled Gaster's hand away from his mouth. "Hey, Dings, look at me." The former scientist looked at his partner slowly. "You're okay. She can't do anything to you anymore."

He nodded a little. "I-I know, just..." Unknowingly, the former scientist scratched at his arms, and after a few moments of obsessively scratching, Sans took a hold of his other hand, too. This just... Wasn't the best situation for the former scientist right now. He had to think of something to distract him. His partner's violet eyes trailed back and forth from him to the floor, as if he wanted to say something else, but couldn't think of the words. Finally, Gaster sighed. "I'm okay." He said, intertwining his fingers with Sans' and returning the hand-hold. "I'm okay."

Sans didn't know whether or not to believe that, but at least Gaster didn't look like an anxiety-ridden mess anymore. He looked calm. And so, Sans supposed that would have to do for right now. He gave Gaster's hands a reassuring squeeze before letting go and wrapping his arms around him instead. Gaster returned the gesture.

_**~~~~~** _

Sans listened to the  _'shfshfshfshfshf'_ sound of the towel Gaster was currently using to dry his hair. Showering sure had to be a pain in the butt, given what had happened earlier, but the former scientist was probably used to handicaps like injured hands. Maybe he used his magic hands...?

He supposed it didn't really matter. Either way, Gaster was definitely okay now, or at least, Sans hoped that shower had done him some good. He seemed better now. As his partner sat on the edge of the bed drying his hair, Sans looked through his bookcase to find something specific. When he finally found the item in question, he pulled it out of the bookshelf and dusted it off. It wasn't in the place he'd left it in, which was weird, especially since he hadn't used it for a while, but he didn't think too much of it.

When he turned back around, the next thing he saw was Gaster trying to calm his floofball of hair. It was quite a sight, seeing the former scientist who usually kept his hair as clean and kept as the rest of him with his hair going in every direction other than the one it was supposed to go in. Gaster, however, didn't seem amused by his hair's antics as much as Sans was. "Would you like some help?"

"That would be great, yes," Gaster said. Sans walked over, setting the thing he'd taken from the bookshelf on the bed as he started flattening his partner's hair down. Soon, the floofball was tamed, and Gaster's hair was back to its normal, clean, kept state. "Thanks."

"No problem," Sans replied. He picked the book back up from the bed, sitting on the bed next to Gaster, who gave it a look before looking at Sans again.

"What's that?" He asked.

Sans turned the notebook over in his hands a couple times. "Um, well..." He opened it up to the front page. "Pap gave me this for my birthday a few years ago, and I filled the pages up with entries. Most of them are about you." He flipped past a few pages as he spoke before closing it and handing it to the former scientist. "I want you to have it. You can read it whenever you want, and you can talk to me about what's written in there, or just use the information however you want."

Gaster looked at the beat-up purple notebook. "You're sure...?"

Sans shrugged. "Most of it kinda sounds like a girl's diary, anyways, since a lot of it's about you." He said. "Plus, I've been kinda meaning to tell you what happened in the time you were gone, and I can't really think of where to start, so..." He gestured to the notebook again but didn't say anything further. Gaster looked down at the notebook, then back to Sans.

"Okay."

_**~~~~~** _

Gaster couldn't sleep.

It wasn't that he was upset, and he wasn't too on edge. He just genuinely couldn't sleep. So, after two unsuccessful hours of trying, he sat up in bed and picked up the purple notebook on the bedside table next to him before turning on the lamp. Sans was a heavy sleeper, he probably wouldn't be bothered by it.

Starting on the first page didn't seem like the right approach, so the scientist skipped past some of the first several pages and went to near the middle of the book.

_June 17, 2013,_

_Well, Papyrus goes to seventh grade soon. He passed this year with flying colors, but of course, he would. He's such a smart kid. Something tells me he's gonna be alright. Undyne's hit a growth spurt, and so did Pap, so now they're both taller than me. Guess I really am stuck at five foot three. They're going to a summer camp in New Home in a couple of days. It lasts from June 20th until August 1st, so I'm gonna be alone in the house for a while. Fun... Ugh... I don't really want him to be away for that long. I don't know what I'm gonna do without him being here. I kinda hitched my emotional well being on him being here, on ignoring how I'm feeling by just being in his presence. He's the only family I got, and lately, the last friend I have, too. I don't know what him being gone will do to me, but I'm kinda scared, tibia-honest. Heh... Stars, help me._

_June 20, 2013,_

_Papyrus left for camp. There goes my support system, the only thing keeping me sane. For a month and then some. I'm goin' to Grillby's. I need a drink._

Gaster frowned. So, Sans turned back to alcohol... He wondered if that lasted and became a problem again, or if it was only a problem when Papyrus was gone. Either way, he could tell just how devastated his smaller partner was at losing his brother for only a month. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Sans felt when he actually lost his brother, several times over.

Wait. He didn't have to imagine. Sans gave him this as a resource. He could just skip to that part of the book. So, after flipping and skim reading a bit, he finally found it. The words were written hastily, and the handwriting was so much sloppier than usual.

_November 17, 2015,_

_They killed Papyrus. They actually killed him. I knew I couldn't trust that fucking brat. The lady behind the door isn't replying, my best friend's bar is abandoned and dark, everyone in Snowdin is gone, and now Papyrus is dead. I just watched them kill everyone, and didn't even do anything about it. They're all dead._

_I can't do this anymore, I just can't. I've reached the end of my rope. There's nothing here for me anymore._

_I'm sorry, **((insert Wingdings here cuz Ao3 is mean and won't let me use them))**_ _, I keep tellin myself you'll come back, but now with him gone, I just can't keep going. I love you. I hope to see you, soon._

Wait... Wingdings...? Sans knew Wingdings? How did he learn Wingdings? Gaster didn't remember teaching them to him. Yet, there was his own name, written out in capital Wingdings.

Maybe, that was enough reading for one night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is kind of short, I wasn't really all that inspired to write lmao. And I didn't really know what to put in this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed, anyways.
> 
> BTW the Wingdings Ao3 wouldn't let me use look like this.  
> 


	21. Twenty - It's Fine, I Also Have A Degree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster is a doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no fucking clue what to do with this chapter. Seriously. This chapter went through so many fucking rough drafts. I had to take several breaks in the earliest drafts. The first draft was some stupid bullshit about Gaster liking rain. I don't know where I was going with that thought. Like at all. The second draft planned for Sans to have a nightmare, and it was a nightmare about Flowey that was heavily inspired by Flowey Is Not A Good Life Coach which is awesome fic right here on Archive. Except Sans was being tortured. Not Papyrus. But then I hated that and had nowhere to go with it. The last draft was Sans having a nightmare about the last day Gaster was around, but I didn't know how to make him wake up screaming from that. He was very aware it was a dream. He's perceptive of that kind of stuff. There wasn't any reason to make him freak out over dreaming about that. Finally, I settled on this. I wanted to skip forward a few months to show a tiny bit of character development and to get the plot rolling again. 
> 
> With that said, please enjoy.

**_~~~Five months later...~~~_ **

He wouldn't have admitted it if anyone pointed it out, but Sans jumped a little when Gaster set the box down on the floor a little too roughly. Well, more like dropped it. It was a really heavy box. Gaster and Papyrus, being the two powerhouses, were doing all the heavy lifting, whereas Sans and Mettaton sometimes helped move one of the smaller boxes. It probably wasn't very fair, but then again, Gaster and Papyrus were both ripped. Papyrus wrestled with Undyne constantly (usually against his will) and Gaster... Well, Sans had no idea how, especially since Gaster was as skinny as a string bean, but the guy had some muscle on him. The former scientist wiped some sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "Home, sweet, home, I guess." He sighed. 

Sans nodded absently. "Yeah." He said. Gaster raised a brow, looking at the thing Sans was holding before his eyes widened a little. 

"Is that the bear you gave me a few years ago?"

Sans looked at him for a second and then back to the stuffed animal in his possession. "Yeah, it was sitting at the back of our closet for a pretty long time." He held it out in Gaster's direction. "You can have him back if you want."

Gaster gladly re-accepted the gift, giving Sans a kiss on the cheek before tucking the bear under his arm. "Thanks, babe."

"What's his name again...?"

"I can't remember." Gaster hummed. "I think I named him after a Star Trek character."

Sans scoffed. "Nerd." He teased. 

"Says the guy who marathoned Lord of the Rings for three days straight."

"That doesn't count."

"Okay," Gaster said. "Then how about the time you loudly hummed the Star Wars theme while making breakfast?"

"You remember that, but not the bear's name?" Sans asked. "You're like it's dad, Gast. Are you just gonna forget your children's names? That's just... Wow."

"If I'm daddy, does that make you mommy?" Gaster asked with an amused smirk. 

"Haha, funny guy. Look at you, you're a comedian." Sans jokingly pushed him and Gaster stuck his tongue out at him. Which only prompted Sans to make a silly face at him. 

"Aww, Papy, look!" Mettaton cooed from the doorway. "The children are getting along so well."

Sans and Gaster both looked at him, holding their expressions with added furrowed brows to express their distaste for him at this moment. Papyrus, who stood behind Mettaton nodded. "Play nicely, now, boys, or no dessert!" He giggled. 

Sans chose to flip Mettaton the bird, and the former celebrity frowned. "So naughty." He said, shaking his head. "You're grounded, young man."

"Go choke on a nutsack."

Mettaton walked away and Papyrus and Gaster both kind of died laughing. "S-Sans, you can't say that!" Papyrus said, trying to act seriously even as snickers continued to escape his mouth. 

"He's a model, bro." Sans reasoned. "I don't respect them."

Papyrus rolled his eyes and moved to walk away before pausing in his tracks and looking at his brother and his brother's partner. "Um, Mettaton and I are going out tonight. Are you two going to be okay all alone, without the Great and loveable Papyrus around to keep you company?"

"I'm sure we'll be able to handle ourselves, Papyrus," Gaster replied. 

"Well, okay," Papyrus said, his voice full of doubt. "You'll call us if you need us, right?"

"We'll be fine, bro," Sans said. "Go have fun."

"Okie dokie!!" He replied excitedly, dashing off to the end of the hall and almost smacking his face on his own bedroom door. He sure was... Something. 

Sans heard his phone go off, and Gaster put his bear on a shelf as the smaller male checked his phone. "Damn, my therapist has to cancel this week."

"Why?" Gaster asked. 

"She has to cover a shift for someone else." He shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Oh, well. There's always next week." 

"How is therapy going?"

Ah, well... Yeah. That's what Sans had been thinking about when the loud sound of a box hitting the floor dragged him out of his thoughts pretty abruptly. "I'm not really sure how to talk to her about the more advanced stuff, but, um... She's pretty helpful with the little things. Like getting scared near a bunch of people, and taking depression naps for like three days in a row."

By 'the more advanced stuff' Gaster assumed Sans was talking about the cause of his PTSD; the Resets. "You could talk to me about the more advanced stuff."

"I'm not really sure how to talk about that..." Sans said, trailing off. He looked at their open bedroom door. "Plus, I don't want Pap or Mettaton hearing about those runs."

"Well, they're leaving soon," Gaster said. "We'll have the house to ourselves."

 _Stop being stupid and just talk to him_. Sans thought to himself. "Okay." He replied quietly. 

Gaster's face suddenly brightened and he snapped his fingers. "Data!" When Sans looked at him in confusion, Gaster explained. "The bear's name is Data. I just remembered."

"You're so hot when you talk about Star Trek," Sans said, fanning himself with his hand. "Bestill, my beating heart."

Sans then got pelted by a teddy bear with nerd glasses. 

~~~~~

"So, just keep pushing it around in the pan so it doesn't stick."

"Uh huh..."

"That's literally it. That's how you cook. When it looks done, you turn the stove off and put the food on a plate." 

Five minutes later, Gaster was swearing loudly and the smoke alarm was going off. As Sans rounded the corner to check on his partner to make sure he wasn't burning the house down, He got to witness the brilliance of Gaster viciously opening windows to get smoke out of the room. "How did you manage this? It's only on medium heat."

"Kitchens hate me."

So, then they had cereal for dinner. They sat on the floor facing each other and ate Fruity Pebbles in silence. "You think Pap chooses this cereal for like... An obvious reason?" Sans asked, his mouth full of cereal. Gaster shrugged. 

"He does like rainbows." The former scientist said with a shrug. Come to think of it, Mettaton really liked rainbows, too. 

"Pap got picked on a lot as a kid for being gay. 'Specially after you left, since teenagers are rude little shits."

"Did you ever get picked on for being bisexual?"

Sans kinda went a bit quiet at that question and Gaster watched curiously as the other dunked his cereal under his milk a few times before he looked up. "Uh, hey, listen..."

"Listening," Gaster said. He inched closer by scooting on the floor. 

"I thought I'd never see you again." He started. "You were gone for so long, no one remembered you, and your contact name on my phone changed to 'Error'. Whenever I tried to call, it told me your number didn't even exist." He pouted, and Gaster felt his heart break a little. "I got really lonely..."

"I'm here, now," Gaster said.

Sans nodded a little. "Yeah, but, what I'm trying to say is... I kinda hooked up with Grillby and Toriel while you were gone."

"... Oh." Well, that was news. 

That didn't sound like a very thrilled response, so now Sans felt really bad for telling him. "Grillby was just a fling... We did stuff every now and then, and I felt things for him like I did you, but he didn't feel the same way, and cut it off before it could go any further." He said. "I think I was trying to replace you so I wasn't so miserable, and I just kinda failed...?"

Gaster wasn't as offended as he had been a moment ago. It would be an unrealistic standard to have, to not want Sans to have anyone but him after he disappeared for four and a half years. He got lonely. Even though Gaster yearned for Sans' company during his time in the Void more times than he could count, he could also recall several occasions where the thought had crossed his mind that he didn't care if it was Sans or some random hobo as long as someone showed up to give him some company in that God-forsaken place (but nobody came). Anyone at all. "What happened with Toriel, then?"

"We had an actual thing," Sans said. "I loved her, she seemed to really love me..." He took a bite of his cereal. "Then the kid reset." He said, with food in his mouth (so classy). "Tori never looked at me the same way again, and I was too tired to give a fuck. I felt nothing because I was already so used to that damn kid screwing stuff like that up for me."

His hands were visibly shaking and his fingers were gripped tightly around the spoon in his hand. The former scientist took the utensil from his partner gently and put it in his bowl. "They can't do anything like that anymore, okay...?" He said. Sans looked at him. "Plus, they helped you find me, didn't they?"

He was calm again, but just because he was calm didn't mean he didn't look upset. He looked genuinely very conflicted. "I just don't even know how to process everything they did. It gets all mixed up in my head, and then I get angry at myself for letting them do it all, and I get mad at myself for taking it so badly, even though none of the actual damage was permanent." He looked like he was struggling for words. "I just  _hate_  that kid so much, and I don't know why, but hating them made me hate  _myself_ even more than I already did." His frown deepened. "And now, as if to rub it in my face or something they smashed their Reset button as if that erased everything they did, and everything they put me through. And they helped me find you. _I don't understand_  why they're being so nice after being such a pain in the ass for so long."

He looked about ready to smash a lamp. Gaster always had a feeling Sans had a strong distaste for Frisk, but he never thought he hated them. Still, though... "I understand that feeling a hundred percent."

Sans didn't pry for details, but he did look a tiny bit less likely to throw an attack at the lamp standing in the corner of the room. "Pap was all I had left after you disappeared... They took him away from me so many times, Gast. I watched them  _slaughter_  my baby brother hundreds of times over, and I didn't even try to stop them."

"Monsters are... Stronger than humans. Which is why they won the war. A monster's victory is almost always inevitable over a human's. Especially since the really determined ones can load and Reset... Maybe you just didn't want to try because, scientifically, there's no point."

"There's no real point to anything," Sans replied. "No one exists on purpose, everyone's gonna die."

Well, that was.. Morbidly true. Gaster sighed. He wasn't gonna give Sans the old 'no, you're wrong, everything happens for a reason' speech because quite frankly, he was right. No one existed on purpose, and eventually, we all die. "It's okay to be mad at Frisk. You're entirely justified for hating their guts. What they did was inexcusable, and they never even tried to make up for it. Just don't hate yourself, okay...?" Sans looked at him with a pouty face. "You never asked for them to do that, and it was out of your power to do anything about it. You didn't do anything wrong. Only Frisk did."

"Okay..."

"And you were fine to get into a relationship with others while I was gone. You had no way of knowing I'd ever be back, and you wanted affection. If anything, I'm just glad you found a few people who cared about you in my absence."

"Thanks," Sans muttered. "I feel a bit better."

The former scientist leaned over and kissed his smaller partner on the forehead before ruffling his hair and messing it up. "I'm glad I could be of service." 

Sans looked down at his bowl of soggy cereal. "I think I talked for too long, though. The milk's turning pink." 

Gaster glanced at his own bowl and confirmed that yes, the milk was indeed pink. He shrugged a little. "Wanna binge watch an anime on Netflix til we pass out?"

"Honestly, yes. I would love that."

_**~~~~~** _

Mettaton shoved the house keys back in his pocket as he opened the door and held it open for Papyrus, who yawned because of how late they were getting back. "Thank you." He said quietly.

The former tv star closed the door behind them and Papyrus turned the living room light on... Only for them to see Sans and Gaster asleep under a big blanket on the floor, a phone propped up by a teddy bear with nerd glasses in front of them playing an anime on full blast. "They need to get married."

"Yeah, they really do."


	22. Twenty-One - GET MARRIED ALREADY!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing on from the five-month time skip, Gaster's been out of the Void for about six months now. Read on to find about Sans' advancements, Papyrus' advancements, and Gaster's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title's in caps because it's supposed to be Papyrus yelling at them lmao

Gaster's vision wasn't all that good, like, ever. Especially in the morning. So, he reached for the device that was going off, missed a few times, knocked the bear over, and knocked the phone over in under ten seconds. So even Sans woke up to the alarm, which wasn't the goal because he didn't have to wake up for another half an hour. As soon as the smaller male rolled to face away from him, Gaster knew his clumsiness had managed to wake him. And Sans was a heavy sleeper. 

"Time to get up...?" He asked groggily.

"Not for you, no," Gaster replied, sitting up and retrieving his glasses from where they sat next to him and slipping them on, blinking to adjust his eyes. 

"May as well get up," Sans muttered. "Maybe I can make a pot of coffee before I have to log in to homeroom."

"If you want to." 

"Not really, but if I go back to sleep, I probably won't wake back up." He sat up from the floor and rubbed his eyes tiredly. One part of Gaster was a bit annoyed at himself for waking Sans way before he had to be up, but the other part of him was glad he'd get more time with him this morning. The one part of him that was annoyed at himself quickly faded away, however, as Sans leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Gaster and resting his head on his arm. The former scientist reached up, messing with fluffy brown locks of hair. "Hey, Dings, guess what?"

"What?"

"Gueeesss."

"I'm bad at guessing," Gaster said. 

"I love you."

"I love you, too." The former scientist replied with a smile. He kissed his boyfriend's forehead before Sans stood up and wandered into the kitchen to make some coffee. Sighing, Gaster stood up, too, picking up the blanket and his stuffed bear from the floor before heading to his and Sans' room. This new place was a two bedroom apartment, Mettaton and Papyrus occupied one room, and Gaster and Sans were in the other. Sans didn't seem too pleased that his brother was now sleeping in the same bed as Mettaton, but then Papyrus mentioned that Sans and Gaster had started sharing a bed much earlier in their relationship. The argument was still continuing on a series of sticky notes in the living room. 

Gaster set his bear on their bed before folding the blanket and setting it at the end of the bed. He didn't feel like making the bed, but he at least wanted it to be neat and tidy. After that, he got dressed. A sweater vest and a button up shirt, black slacks and dress shoes... He didn't like his job as a student teacher, but he was hoping to be an actual teacher himself at some point. He already had the required education under his belt, now he just needed to do the pleasantries. Which, unfortunately, meant being a student teacher at a middle school. He was just as upset to be there as the kids were. On the bright side, at least he was in a science classroom. He didn't think he would have been able to be a math teacher. Sixes and nines look too similar, and he wrote threes backward sometimes.  

When he finished getting dressed, he walked out of his and Sans' room and stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching Sans for a moment as he danced around the kitchen with earbuds in, oblivious to the fact that Gaster was watching. Once he caught sight of his boyfriend, watching him with that little devious smirk on his face, Sans stopped in his tracks as his face turned pink and he pulled the earbuds out. "What are you listening to, love?"

"'Pumped Up Kicks'..." Sans replied sheepishly. He poured water from the coffee pot into the machine and opened the can of coffee grounds. "It's kind of an oldie, but it's a goodie." He closed the top part of the coffee maker up and pressed the power button. The coffee started to brew. 

"Don't forget to take your medicine."

"I won't," Sans said. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs, a half gallon of milk and a few other odds and ends. "Do you have enough time for me to make breakfast for you?"

"Hmm... I should have enough time for that if you give me a shortcut to work."

"Easy peasy." The smaller male replied, shrugging as he began cooking. "Can you make sure my brother's awake? I think he works today, and all that lifting the past few days has him sleeping in till noon."

Gaster gave a barely perceptible nod, which Sans managed to see before the former Royal Scientist walked down to the end of the apartment and knocked on Papyrus and Mettaton's door. It took longer than he thought it would, but after a couple of knocks, Papyrus finally flung the door open excitedly, nearly hitting Gaster who only just managed to dodge said flying door. "Oh, hello!" Papyrus said. Despite his excited nature, he yawned. "Good morning! Did you and my brother sleep well cuddled together on the floor like a pair of nerds??"

"Yes, we did," Gaster replied. "He asked me to wake you up. Do you have work today?"

"Yes, I do! And I have a job interview later, too!" Papyrus had lost his second job, and it wasn't in his nature to not do stuff for several hours at a time, so he'd gone looking for another one.

"I'm glad to hear you found something else," Gaster replied, making a mental note of just how stiff and boring he sounded. He was reminding himself of the old him, who got mad at employees for asking about the uniform for the opposite gender and told the King he was nuts if he thought he had feelings for his coworker. 

"So, when are you and my brother getting married???"

"Not anytime soon," Gaster answered, watching Papyrus' face drop. "Sans just went back to school, and I'm training for a job. Now isn't the time to also be planning a wedding."

"Aha! But by saying now isn't the time, you're saying that as soon as things settle down, you'll definitely ask him!!" He proclaimed triumphantly. "And then you guys will get married, and Sans will wear a pretty dress, and you'll grow old and happy together!!!"

"If you want to interpret it that way, go ahead," Gaster said, walking back to the other end of the house and into the kitchen as Papyrus loudly exclaimed behind him about how he couldn't deny destiny and a bunch of other Papyrus sounds. 

"He sure does want us to get married real badly." Sans hummed. 

"And so does everyone else," Gaster told him, recalling a moment not too long ago when he'd been out running errands with Toriel at the mall and she stopped in front of a ring shop. She pointed out a pair of rings next to each other that was supposed to be a set and told him 'Those would look nice on you and Sans'. If he had a working soul of his own, he felt it would have left his body from mortification. 

"I mean, we have been together for like, six years now. Almost seven."

"Only two years, if you count the time I was gone," Gaster said. "I don't really count those four years in between."

Sans only shrugged as he cracked some eggs on the edge of the pan and plopped them in perfectly, shell free. He glanced at Gaster for a moment before looking back at the task at hand. "Yknow, Valentine's Day is coming up." 

"Mmhm, I know." The former scientist leaned on the counter next to his partner. "I've already got something planned. I get paid on the sixteenth. It'll be a bit late, but..." He shrugged. 

"I wish I could get you something," Sans mumbled. 

"I already told you, you focus on school, I'll focus on money things. Okay?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No buts." Gaster interrupted. "As far as I'm concerned, you've worried far too much about finances already. Just let me handle everything." 

"Okay..." Gaster kissed Sans' cheek, causing the smaller's cheeks to flush bubblegum pink as he smiled a little. 

When the food was finally done, Sans slapped the eggs and bacon on some toast and served it. Gaster didn't usually eat much, but he managed nonetheless to finish his breakfast. Sans poured him a cup of coffee, (three sugar, two cream; it was basically clockwork at this point) and Gaster downed the entire thing in one go, now that he was in a rush. "Your cooking and the coffee were perfect as always." 

"Thank you," Sans said. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, I am," Gaster replied. He gathered up his stuff. Keys, folders, coat, a few other things before he reached for his partner's hand, bandaged fingers intertwining with Sans'. 

He blinked and the world around them disappeared. Blackness, numbers. That was what it looked like when Sans used a shortcut. Of course, he'd only started seeing it this way after the Void. Before, he blinked, and they were somewhere different with barely any way of knowing they'd ever even left. He wondered to himself if Sans could see this. Of course, he didn't ask. Soon, the world rematerialized around them, and they were outside of the school. Children were already starting to pour into the building like small zombies, though a nice amount of them continued sitting and talking in groups of three or four. They wanted to go in as much as Gaster did. He looked down at his boyfriend. "I gotta get home like, right away. I gotta sign in to homeroom." 

"Alright," Gaster said. "Have a good day. Remember to take your medication."

"I will don't worry. You have a good day, too. Get home safely." Sans stood on his tiptoes, wrapping his arms around Gaster's neck as the taller man leaned down and pecked his partner on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

**_~~~~~~~~~~_ **

By the time he started walking home, he was itching for a cigarette. Okay, yes, smoking was bad for you, and he knew better, but he also knew filling his lungs with smoke helped calm him down. He didn't even have one that often, and he wasn't even addicted. He smoked less than a pack a week. Most people smoked a pack a day. He liked to think he had some willpower when it came to this. So, he dug the pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket, along with his lighter and sparked the cancer stick, taking a nice, long drag before exhaling. 

Sans really wouldn't like this. 

He tried to shake that thought from his head, but it seemed stuck. Sans wouldn't like this. He would have a problem with this. If he found out, he'd probably ask Gaster to quit. The former scientist didn't like that concept. 

The cigarette burned out only a block away from their apartment, so he threw the cigarette butt on the sidewalk and stomped it out with his shoe as he continued walking. He pulled some tic-tacs out of his pocket and tossed a few in his mouth, trying to get the taste of nicotine and bad decisions out of his mouth before he got home. When he finally got home, he turned the knob. Nope, locked. He pulled his keys out of his coat pocket and put them in the door handle, turning and unlocking it before taking his key back out of the lock, shoving it in his pocket, and entering the house. It was quiet at first, but then he heard water running from the kitchen. He walked over to the doorway and leaned against it to see Sans washing dishes with his earbuds in. 

Hm...

He could hear music coming out of the earbuds from here, even over the water, so it was safe to say Sans was oblivious to Gaster being here. He smiled a little to himself as he put his business folders down on the dining room table before going back to the doorway and observing his distracted partner. Slowly, he made his way over to behind Sans. Magic hands pulled out his earbuds as his real hands covered the other's eyes. Sans jumped a little. "Boo."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Dings," Sans said, sounding a bit exasperated. Gaster uncovered his boyfriend's eyes and Sans turned the water off before turning around to face Gaster, craning his head up so he could see him. "How long have you been home?"

"Only a minute or two," Gaster replied. Sans stood on his tip toes and Gaster leaned down, pecking his partner on the lips. "Did you miss me?"

"Always," Sans said. "Guess what I'm making for dinner."

"I'm still really bad at guessing," Gaster said. 

"Cmon, just guess. I'll give ya three guesses."

"Do I get anything if I guess correctly?"

"The satisfaction of knowing you're right," Sans said with a shrug. 

One look around the room told the former scientist that the oven was on and there was nothing on the stove. Whatever Sans was making, it was something that was baked, not fried. "Aaarrreee you making meatloaf?"

"Nope. Try again."

"Hmmm..." Gaster looked at the oven again, then back to Sans. "Are you making baked potatoes?"

"Nope. One more guess."

"Are you making pizza?"

"Ding, ding, ding, show him what he's won, Martha," Sans said in a goofy game show host voice. He walked over to the oven and opened it, and Gaster looked inside. "It, uh... Might not turn out very well. I haven't gotten that much better at cooking."

"It sure looks good, for a beginner," Gaster said. "Are you sure you don't know what you're doing?"

"I followed a tutorial on Youtube," Sans admitted. "I only watched the video once, I didn't make the dough by hand, and I think I put too much sauce and cheese on it and not enough toppings." 

"The sauce and the cheese are the best parts, anyway," Gaster said. Sans closed the oven so the pizza could continue to properly bake, and the former scientist leaned against a counter. "How was your day?"

"Kind of lonely, but I got some stuff done. Went grocery shopping with Metta, got a bunch of schoolwork done. Didn't hand it in yet, but I've got til Friday to turn stuff in, so I'm not too bothered."

"Learned how to make pizza, too," Gaster said. "Did you remember to take your medicine?"

"Yeah, I remembered. My second dose is in like, another hour if you could remind me then?"

"I'll remind you." Alright, Gaster, mental note. Don't let time slip by you. Remind Sans to take his Prozac and Cymbalta in an hour.

Sans went back to washing dishes, and the former scientist pulled himself up and sat on one of the counters, watching his partner. Sans glanced back at him and then back to the sink. "Yknow, someone once told me that tables were for glasses, not asses."

"The reason I told you that was because you usually sat on an actual table, that could have wobbled if you moved and you could have fallen off of and busted your head open on the lab floor." He said. "This is a counter, however, so it's attached to the wall."

"Fair enough."

_**~~~~~** _

Papyrus burst through the front door of their apartment just as Sans was pulling the pizza out of the oven. "SANS, OH MY GOD!!"

Sans almost dropped the cooking sheet with the pizza on it, accidentally banged his head on the oven because of the suddenness of... Well, Papyrus, and rubbed the back of his head as he stood up and set the pizza on the counter Gaster wasn't sitting on. "Yeah, bro?"

Papyrus ran over to the kitchen doorway looking more cheerful than usual, a grin that looked like it would split his face reaching up to his eyes (unlike the cold, unfeeling grins that Sans usually pasted onto his face) as he started to bounce up and down where he stood. "I got the job I applied for!! They said I showed enthusiasm and potential!"

"That's great, Paps, 'm proud of ya." Papyrus giggled and ran off and the pair could hear him exclaiming about his new job at the other end of the house, probably relaying the news to Mettaton. Sans continued to rub at the back of his head where he'd slammed it off the oven before Gaster wrapped his arms around his smaller partner and pulled him close, putting his hands on the back of Sans' head and pouring healing magic into it. "Aww, cmon, mom," Sans whined jokingly.  

"Why must you insist on calling me your mother whenever you get hurt?"

"Cuz you always baby me like a mom," Sans replied. "And... I dunno, you kinda have the same hair color as her."

"I thought you couldn't remember your parents?"

"Not all like that." He replied with a shrug. "I remember she had... Long, black hair and the tips of it were dyed green. I can't remember anything else."

"My hair isn't exactly black."

"Yeah, it's galaxy," Sans said. "But a nice chunk of that galaxy is black. Soooo..."

"Can you remember anything else about your parents?"

"Nah," Sans said. "Like I said, I just kinda woke up in the forest with Paps one day, and the only thing I could remember was some basic information. Like our birthdays, and our names and our ages. I can't remember anything from before then."

"You know, there are websites people use to find their relatives. Maybe you could look up your name on one of them and we could find your parents?"

Sans was silent for a moment. "I dunno, Gast." He said. "What if they just dumped me and Paps out there, cuz they didn't want us?"

"I don't think that's very likely." The former scientist said. "And it's worth a try, so you could at least see their faces, or know their names."

Sans hesitated before nodding a little. "Okay. We'll try to look for them." He said. "But I'm not gonna contact them right away."

"You do whatever you think is right." 


	23. Twenty-Two - More Questions Made Than Answered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finds out some very limited information about the rest of his family after a quick trip to the castle.

Ah, the weekend. That magical part of the week when you make bad choices on purpose, go to bed late because you can, and just generally disregard any kind of form or schedule. Saturday isn't a day to be waking up at nine in the morning. And yet, here he was, wide awake at nine in the morning. Even Gaster wasn't awake yet, and he was an early riser.  _Papyrus_  wasn't even awake at nine AM on a Saturday. 

He'd been laying in bed with shit-all to do for an hour before he finally got up and started moving around. Gaster stirred a bit, but unlike usual, found it easy to roll over and go back to sleep. Sans was, admittedly, a bit annoyed that his boyfriend hadn't woken up, but then again, he had a job. This was the weekend. He didn't even get Sundays off because he usually had to chat with the teacher he worked with about lesson plans for the next week. Saturday was basically his only real day off. So, he got over his annoyance pretty quickly. 

He wandered into the kitchen and looked out the window. The sun was just barely risen above some of the really tall buildings in this area. It was still weird for him to wake up in a bed that sat on a bed frame and not just a naked mattress on the floor. It was weird to look down from said bed and see hardwood floors with a wine red throw rug next to the bed, and it was definitely weird to look out the window and see streets, sky, clouds, and sun when he was used to looking out the window and seeing snow and Christmas lights. Used to looking down at the floor, which wasn't far from the bed and seeing a teal and purple zigzagged carpet. He still wasn't entirely used to being on the Surface, even though they'd been free for... A while now. 

He kinda missed Snowdin. 

He wandered back out of the kitchen and into the dining room, which was really just the living room, but this side of the room had wooden floors instead of the carpeting on the other side of the room. You could see the dining table from the couch and could see the television from the dining table. On the table was a sticky note with sloppy handwriting on it.  _Hey, Sans, I'm gonna be a bit late getting home. I also have to leave before you wake up, I'm needed at work early. I love you, I'll call you on my lunch break. Remember to take your medicine. <3 - Dings. _

He'd already read this note yesterday morning since that was when it was left. He woke up yesterday and Dings wasn't there. So, of course, his first instinct was to check the time. It was still nowhere near when Gaster was supposed to leave, and it was way earlier than Sans had to log in to school. So, he got up, and after looking around the house, he kind of started to panic. Gaster wasn't anywhere to be found. Poof. But, his panic died back down when he spotted, out of the corner of his eye, a bright pink sticky note with familiar handwriting. He picked it up from the table, read it, then mentally slapped himself a couple times for assuming the worst like that. He was sorta glad no one had seen him panic like that. It would have been embarrassing, to say the least. 

He made a fresh pot of coffee and listened to it brewing as he thought about what his partner had said a few days ago. They make websites for tracking down relatives. Yeah, that was a no-brainer. He'd always thought about that in the back of his head. He just didn't know how likely it was. He and his brother were a bit off the grid. Most people who'd led pretty ordinary lives in the Underground were still off the grid up here. Who was to say any of the websites up here would even know who he was, much less his family? Finding relatives was nice, in theory, but in practice, there was no way in hell he was ever gonna get the information he needed from a dumb monster website. 

And then, it clicked. 

Asgore. He would have records of everyone who lived Underground, wouldn't he? Maybe not anymore, but those records had to exist somewhere, and there had to be some way to access them. King Fluffybuns wouldn't have put those kinds of records in someone else's hands, he probably would have left them where they belonged. In the Underground. Much like Alphys had left a lot of her equipment in her lab, Asgore probably would have left records in the castle. It didn't matter if dumb monster websites didn't who he was, those records definitely had him, his brother, and anyone else he was ever related to in there. 

The coffee was still brewing when the front door of the apartment closed behind him. 

_**~~~~~** _

_heyyyyy dings,_

_so if you're reading this, i'm already gone. i went back to the underground. i think there might be more hope of finding something out about my parents down there then there is up here, and i'm not really a fan of wasting time. i'm making my way to the castle to find records about population. it might take a while, but uhh... i'm not coming back until i find somethin'. this is kinda important to me. - sans_

_ps dont worry i took my meds_

Gaster frowned as he adjusted his eyes, reading the note on the yellow sticky note. Sheesh... What was he thinking?  

Sans pulled his phone out of his pocket as it started ringing, reading the caller ID. It read Gast <3, and the background picture was of Gaster in a dress and makeup (he lost a bet against Undyne, who said if he lost, he'd have to let Sans do his makeup and make him all pretty. Sans immediately asked if he was allowed to take pictures and Undyne said "You can't not take pictures if he can't stop ya!!" and then held Gaster back with her big, muscly arms as Sans took the picture. It was a great way to spend Christmas). He kind of saw this phone call coming from a mile away. He answered and held the phone up to his ear. "Legendary Fart Master, here."

"Sans, you could have brought me with, you know. It's not like I'm going to try to stop you, or something."

Sans shrugged, even though he knew his partner couldn't see it. "I dunno, I kinda needed to do this by myself." He said. "I think it's kinda the principle of the matter."

"Just get home safe, okay...?" Gaster replied. "The Underground probably isn't the safest anymore."

"Yeah, the Core's shut off, so most of the lights have gone dark," Sans said, looking around at all the dark buildings in New Home. "New Home looks dead. You can't even tell people lived here a little while ago. I'm using a flashlight app on my phone."

"I should maybe hang up, so you can focus on where you're going," Gaster said. "Can you please come home tonight? I don't want you down there overnight."

"Yeah, I can split my trip into two if I don't find what I need today, I guess," Sans replied with a shrug. He kind of wanted to get it done in one trip, even now with Gaster asking him to come home. It would just be so much easier, not to mention quicker. He wanted to know. 

"Thank you," Gaster said, sounding a bit relieved. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Love you."

"I love you, too." 

Click. Sans continued to walk in the direction the castle was in, climbing over chunks of the ceiling that had fallen to the ground. The Underground had always been notorious for falling rocks, and now with everyone gone, there was no one to clean up the damage. Granted, there was also no one around anymore to get damaged by the aforementioned falling rocks, but they were still proving to be a pain in Sans' ass since they were in the way. 

Eventually, he reached the foot of the castle. The castle, as it turned out, wasn't really all that big of a building. It was bigger than the other buildings, but not by so much that it was really all that noticeable. From the front, the castle almost looked like a church. He climbed the steps, which were a slightly smaller pain in the ass than climbing over fallen rocks in the dark, and entered the castle with brute force. The door was boarded up. Blasters don't care about boarded up doors. Blasters find a way in, and it's pretty obvious how they achieve that, given that their method is in their name. 

The Blaster turned into spent magic as soon as he'd used it for his purposes of blasting said door open and he continued forward, shining his flashlight as he went. He'd been here a few times with the King and Gaster. Whenever the King had held meetings in the castle, he always let them in through the front door, and they'd go to the dining hall for some tea. The King didn't live in the castle, so these meetings were the only times he ever used this room. Hell, this building. Sometimes meetings weren't content the wife and kids should have heard. Money stuff, most of the time, but also plans to break the barrier. Gaster and Asgore spoke so much about breaking the barrier. The reason the wife and kids shouldn't have heard that is because even Sans got his hopes a little too high every time they had talked about it. And Sans found it pretty hard to hope for anything. Talking about breaking the barrier was kind of like telling a blind man how nice the sun looks. 

He easily made his way through the rooms. He remembered them from the time the King had given him a tour, despite Gaster saying they should get to work, and Sans gently trying to decline the offer. All he had to do was navigate through this familiar territory, which was only familiar because of recollection. Sans, admittedly, never saw the part of the castle with all the important paperwork in it, but when he reached a door that read 'Office' in gold lettering, he had a feeling he'd found the right room. He opened the door, which was thankfully unlocked, and went into the room, shining his flashlight around. Bingo. File cabinets, bookshelves full of binders, files on the desk. Something here had to have records for who was living in the Underground.

He searched the loose files on the desk first. Most of these were noise complaints, others were paperwork about criminals. Even Gaster's parents' folders sat on the desk as if the King had been reviewing them for some reason before the Underground emptied. One look at it, though, and it said they were arrested for two counts of murder and two counts of child abuse, and Sans cringed. Even  _paperwork_  was still convinced Gaster never existed. 

More specifically though, since he'd gotten curious and kept reading, it said Tiffany was the one who murdered the children- and she got the abuse charges, too. The only charges Jacob had were harboring a fugitive. He wasn't even gonna be locked up for life like Tiffany was. "Fuckin' bitch..." Sans muttered under his breath, flipping back through Gaster's mother's report. 

He wondered what Gaster would think of his father getting out of jail so soon... He was gonna have to tell him that at some point. He would need some kind of warning, stars forbid either of his parents ever contact him. He pushed it to the back of his mind for now. That could wait. It was still years away. He could deal with that later. For now, he wanted to find information on his parents. 

It took three and a half hours to get through every file on the desk, in the desk drawers, and in the file cabinet. So, it wasn't a file he needed, then. He took one more look at those binders on the shelves. They had letters written on pieces of paper on the side to label them. A-K, K-Z. If those were population records, he'd need the A-K one, since his last name started with F. Unless... That wasn't likely. Hopefully. Please, stars, let this operate like a phone book...

The only problem now; he couldn't reach them. He wasn't tall enough to reach that shelf. Asgore and sometimes even Gaster both had to duck down to enter a room so they wouldn't hit their heads on the doorframe whereas Sans assumed he could probably fit in one of those grocery store cart baskets that kids sit in. It took some hard work, and he was breathing heavily and sweating before he managed it (he was gonna go on a diet and start exercising!! Right after this burger), but he managed to climb from the desk to the filing cabinet, where he could then reach the shelf from. He grabbed both binders and scurried back down as he sat on the floor. 

Thank the stars, it was just like a phone book. The names were in alphabetical order for the last name only, this was gonna be so much easier. He flipped countless amounts of pages before he was only a little under halfway through the book, in the F's. Fingers crossed. He read forward. Fanelli, Fanolli, those sounded Italian. Not to mention really similar. It was only a one letter difference. This wasn't the section he needed. This was Fa's, he needed Fo's. A few more pages flipped, and he spotted his last name on the page faster than you could say 'Legendary Fart Master'. They were listed, assumingly oldest to youngest. 

 _Mr. Franklin Serif Fontz   ???_  
Mrs. Ava Fontz  349 New Street  
Bodoni Hope Fontz   ???  
Sans Comic Fontz   ???  
Papyrus Fontz   ???

Franklin was... Dad? And that made Ava his mother, probably. Who the hell was Bodoni...? If it really was listed oldest to youngest, that would make her (?) older than Sans... But younger than his mom and dad. "What the fuck...?" And another thing- the only one who had an address was his mother. The King knew exactly where Sans and Papyrus lived, at least since he'd been hired at the lab, if not before that. Why were his dad and this Bodoni person at unknown whereabouts, and where was his mother now? This book was addresses for the Underground. No one lived here anymore. Jeez, this was getting complicated...

He closed the book. Now, even with names, he couldn't help but feel empty inside, even though the goal had been to feel some sort of sense of accomplishment... This might take longer than he thought. Gathering himself again, he tucked the binder under his arm, stood, and teleported home. Maybe Gaster would know what to do. 


	24. Twenty-Three - First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus talk to their mom, and Bodoni is mentioned, too.

The room was mostly silent, save for the clicking sound of Sans' fingers tapping on the keyboard furiously, and the occasional sound of Gaster dragging his pen across the pad of paper on his lap as he sketched peacefully across the room from his partner who was very busy. The former scientist looked up at his boyfriend when Sans stopped typing for a long while. He stood and walked over to the desk where his boyfriend sat. "Is..."

"That's her," Sans said, scrolling down the Facebook profile, soaking in the information. He clicked on the profile picture, and it got bigger. 

"That's... Really gotta be her." Gaster said. "She looks like Papyrus. Or, rather, Papyrus looks like her."

"She's got the same nose and everything. And the freckles."

She was dark-skinned, though, she was a bit darker than both him and Papyrus. Her hair was long and dark, though it wasn't dyed green at the tips anymore. In her picture, she wore it in a messy bun. Freckles dotted her face wherever you looked, over the bridge of her nose, below her eyes, next to them, on her cheeks, down to her jawline. It reminded the pair so heavily of Papyrus who had the same freckles on his face. Gaster gave his partner a pat on the back, and Sans looked up at him. "Are you going to message her?"

"I dunno..." Sans said. "I don't wanna be awkward, and I don't know what to say." 'Hey, did you lose some children in the woods like twenty years ago?' didn't quite sound right. 

"Are you at least going to let your brother know about this? Maybe he could contact her. He's good with people."

"Yeah, I don't see any harm in letting Paps know. Especially since it's pretty likely he'd try to contact her." He took his phone out and messaged his brother. 

_hey paps u should come 2 my room. i found somethin._

_THIS BETTER NOT BE ONE OF YOUR PRANKS, BROTHER_

_pshhhh i woul- paps, cmon, i would never, ev- i would never ever prank you, bro, what makes you think i'm like that?_

_I'M GOING TO TRUST YOU ON THIS BUT LET IT BE KNOWN I'M SCARED._

Sans laughed to himself a bit before he heard Papyrus' loud footsteps coming closer to the door until his younger brother opened the door and peaked his head in. "Nyeh?"

"C'mere, bro, I wanna show you something," Sans said. Papyrus narrowed his eyes in distrust and very hesitantly walked over behind where his brother's partner was currently leaned down to (seven foot tall meant trying to look at a computer monitor that was on a desk was almost impossible unless you literally stooped to that level). 

"Who is she?" Papyrus asked, looking at the strange lady on the computer screen. 

"That, believe it or not, is our mom."

"What??" Papyrus asked, eyes wide with surprise. "How did you find her?"

"Uhhh, let's just call it detective work." The older brother replied. "Either way, that's the lady that gave birth to us."

"Wowie!! What's her name? Where is she? Have you talked to her yet? Can we meet her?" 

"One question at a time, bro," Sans said. "Her name is Ava, I dunno where she lives. I haven't tried to contact her yet, I was... Kinda hoping you could do that?"

"Gladly," Papyrus said. He grinned. "Do you know any of our other family's name?"

"Our dad's name is Franklin, but I can't find him on Facebook, and his address wasn't listed in the book," Sans said. "Other than him, there's one other person whose address wasn't listed, either. Someone named Bodoni."

"Maybe an aunt...? That sounds like a woman's name."

"Maybe," Sans said. "Though, she'd have to be from dad's side of the family, since I'm just assumin' mom took dad's last name like most marriages."

"You could look her up while I contact our mom," Papyrus suggested. He looked absolutely ecstatic to hear about all these other people out in the world with the same last name and genetics as him. 

"Okay," Sans said. "When you do contact her, though, um... Maybe tone it down a notch? Ask her first if we even got the right person, or if there's just some other Ava Fontz out there."

"Oh, I doubt that!" The younger brother proclaimed. "We look just like her! You even have the same eye color as her."

"Still, maybe try to ease into telling her you think you're her long lost son? We don't want her to think we're pranking her, and we don't really wanna put her off, either. Just be casual, okay?"

"Alright, I've got it," Papyrus said. He took out his phone and sent off a text. 

_Hi! My name is Papyrus! We have the same last name, and my brother and I were wondering if we were related to you! Please answer me back whenever you can! - Papyrus_

He showed the phone screen to Sans and Gaster, and the former scientist said, "Well, that's harmless enough." and shrugged. Sans agreed. His brother could have worded that so much worse. This wasn't that bad. 

Sans looked up Bodoni, who immediately showed up. "Uh, I don't think she's an aunt." He said Papyrus and Gaster both looked at her picture. "It says her birthday is... December twenty-second..."

"Brother, that's your birthday!" Papyrus pointed out. He pointed to the year next to the date on the screen. "It's even the same year!"

"Holy fucking shit, Paps, we have a sister." Sans breathed out. 

"You have a twin!!"

The hype lasted for a while, but it eventually died down when Papyrus pointed out that their mother hadn't texted back yet. At that point, Sans, Papyrus, and Gaster decided to watch an anime. "I don't get it." Papyrus said. Seeing as how he and Sans had already seen this anime, Gaster spoke over the laptop. 

"Okay, so you know the character with the brown hair?"

"Yes, his name is Light, right?"

"Right," Gaster said. "He found a notebook."

"The Death Note. And that weird guy who likes the apples as much as my brother likes ketchup said that he just needs to write a name in the book, and whoever's name he writes, dies."

"Mmhm."

"The skinny guy with the bags under his eyes is L. He's the world's best detective," Sans said. "He's suspicious that Light is Kira, but he doesn't have enough proof to convict him. He's not sloppy at his job, so he kinda wants Light to do something in front of everyone that proves he's Kira."

"What kind of a name is L?" Papyrus asked. "I don't get these cartoons. Also, why is Light killing all these people, anyway?"

"Cuz they're bad people, and bad people deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth," Sans answered. "Like murderers."

"Just because someone has made a bad decision doesn't mean they deserve to die, Sans!" Papyrus protested. Gaster watched his partner's eyes go blank.

"What if they killed a lot of people?"

"A momentary lapse in judgment, I'm sure!" The younger brother huffed. 

Sans was quiet for a moment before he grinned. "Eh, you're right, Paps. Killing isn't the answer. I'm gonna go start up on dinner." He stood, and Gaster looked up at him from the bed. Sans looked at him, and they shared a glance.

"Would you mind if I helped you in the kitchen?" Gaster asked. Sans only grinned.

"Nah, you stay here and watch the cartoon with Pap. Answer any questions he might have."

_**~~~~~** _

The trio ate in tense silence before Papyrus' phone went off in his pocket. He jumped to answer it, pulling it out of his pocket and unlocking it as Sans and Gaster held their breath in anticipation. "Is it her?" The older brother asked as soon as Papyrus had unlocked his phone.

"It is her!" He said happily. He showed Sans his phone. 

_My youngest son was named Papyrus, and oh my, you look like him!!! Tell me, is your brother named Sans?_

"We actually found her..." Sans said as Papyrus typed back. 

_Yes! My older brother is named Sans, and he was the one who found you on here first. He's just very shy and left it to me, his cool younger brother to make contact with you._

His phone went off not even two minutes later. 

_I was about to head to bed, but please, have your brother contact me!_

"She wants to talk to you, Sans," Papyrus said. "You should call her!!"

"I don't know what to say, bro," Sans said. Papyrus handed his older brother his phone.

"Just say hi," Papyrus suggested.

_um hi this is sans_

He almost didn't even hit the send button. 

_i'm uhhh pretty overwhelmed tibia honest haha. never expected to be talking to you. i hope you don't mind me not saying much, cuz i'm not really ready for this lol_

_Hello, Sans! You and your brother, how did you find me?_

He didn't want to do this right now, this was all going by too quickly. He finds his mom and gets to talk to her the same day, with no time to process any of it. Thanks a lot, God.

_i did some research in some old population records for the underground. then i looked you up on here. uhhh i'm gonna give pap his phone back tho. i got some really important schoolwork to catch up on haha_

He was gonna have to deal with that, later. 

Gaster walked into the bathroom without knocking, and as much as that should have bothered Sans, given he was in the tub, the former scientist had already seen those parts of him before. There wasn't any reason to get embarrassed. Of course, when Gaster had walked in, Sans was half hidden under the water and behind a few mountains of bubbles. "Sorry," Gaster said, moving to close the door and exit the room. "I thought you'd gone to bed. I can hold it until you're done."

Sans shrugged. "You can come in, I don't mind."

The former scientist seemed hesitant to walk back in, but seemed to gather his courage pretty quickly. He shut the door behind him. "So, are we at that stage in the relationship now? Do these things go in stages?"

"Most couples I've ever known eventually use the bathroom at the same time," Sans replied with a shrug. He found it easy not to care too much as Gaster started using the toilet, only a few feet away and behind an adjacent wall. "I wouldn't say it's really a stage in the relationship so much as it is a hurdle...? Like, we wouldn't have been this comfortable with this six years ago."

"Especially when the way you knew a date was going well was because it was awkward."

"But we're not awkward anymore. Or, at least, I don't think we're awkward anymore." The toilet flushed, and Sans heard his partner zip up his pants. He went towards the door. "Wait, Gast."

Gaster looked at his partner. After a few moments of silence, he hummed, "Hmm?"

"Could... You stay? I kinda need to talk."

"I'm listening," Gaster said, kneeling on the tiled floor next to the tub. 

"I still don't really know what to say to my mom, yknow? It's basically confirmed it's her at this point, but... I dunno, something in my head's telling me I'm wrong?"

"Maybe you just think it's too good to be true," Gaster suggested. "You haven't seen her since, when?"

"When I was six? I think? Something tells me it was a bit longer than that... I think you're right, though... It kinda does sound too good to be true."

"When you get used to disappointment, it can be kinda easy to accept that things aren't likely to go your way."

"And the more you get used to things not going your way, the less it hurts."

"The more you convince yourself it doesn't hurt, anyway." 

"But you know that you really wanted, just this once for it to happen the way it did in your head."

... Yeah, that was the moment they realized they had a little too much in common. This was almost starting to sound like some generic chick flick. "Papyrus is right, you know. And that girl that has the same birthday as you...? It can't all be a coincidence. I think you actually found your mom."

Sans nodded a little. "I just... Really don't know what to say to her. I never thought I'd even get to ever talk to her."

"For now, maybe just talk to her about travel arrangements. I'm sure you could find something to say to her if you meet her in person. I'll cover any expenses for her trip, even."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to," Gaster said. "This is important to you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but just because it's important to me doesn't mean it has to be important to you."

"I suppose not, but here I am, offering anyway," Gaster said. "I mean it. You want to meet her, I'll do anything I can to help you do that."

"What did I do to get so lucky?" Sans asked.

"Applied to a job in a science facility with no background or credentials."

"How did you even consider hiring me??"

"Honestly, I just wanted Asgore to leave me alone about making friends. Didn't get me very far to complain about people, now I'm stuck with you." He joked.

"Pffff, you love me," Sans said.

"Yeah," Gaster replied.  _More than you probably realize._

Gaster laid down in bed next to him as Sans sat on his side of the bed with a towel wrapped around his shoulders to catch any rogue water drops from his still damp hair. "Sans, are you going to bed?"

"Uh, in a moment." He replied. "You can turn off the lamp a while if you want, I don't need the light for anything."

Gaster turned the lamp next to his side of the bed off, and the room went dark, save for Sans' phone screen. He typed a message out, choosing his words carefully. 

_heya. sorry i rushed off earlier. i'd like to meet you in person sometime soon. we have enough to cover for any expenses your trip might cost you, so if you wanna, you can come meet us. txt me back if you wanna talk about this more._

It was midnight now, so it wasn't likely for her to respond anymore tonight. Sans put his phone on the bedside table next to him before taking the towel from around his shoulders and putting it on his pillow to keep it from getting wet from his hair before laying down and dozing off. 


	25. Twenty-Four - The Universe Works In Weird Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster learns something about alternate universes and Sans gets closer to meeting the rest of his family.

_**~~~Almost five years ago...~~~** _

Five days, twenty-one hours, fifty minutes, and thirty-nine seconds. Ironic, wasn't it? Being erased from time and space sure did make it feel like you had a better grasp of how much of it had passed. 

It had been five, nearly six days since this happened. Since he woke up here, in the dark, unable to hear his own voice, and unable to go... Anywhere. He'd screamed, even though no sound came out. He screamed until his throat hurt and he was turning red in the face. 

But nobody came.

When he'd finally gotten tired enough, and the anxiety passed, the only way he could describe his current state was numb. Thoughts swirled around in his head, and want as he may, he couldn't muster the energy to try to get anywhere anymore. So, he floated, desperate for something. A sound. A voice. Another person. Anything. Anyone.

He'd been fingerspelling for a while, trying to regroup his thoughts, even though his brain felt like putty. He didn't remember much the first few hours he'd been here, though that fact didn't add, nor take away from the terror factor of it all. When the memories of who he was, and how he ended up here came flooding back, it was enough to send him into another panic attack. Now here he was, floating freely, laying on his back with his hands held close to his chest as he signed random things, trying to burn everything into his memory so it couldn't get taken away from him again. 

He mouthed the letters as he spelled. 'Sans'. 

That was a popular one. Ever since he remembered Sans, he'd been especially focused on not forgetting that. He mostly did it by recalling random facts to himself.  _Sans is my partner. He and I were working on the machine that did this to me in the first place. He's got a younger brother, Papyrus, who he's been taking care of all his life. He's probably unemployed by now. I don't know where he is, and I hope he doesn't remember me._

The scientist, if he could even be called that anymore, stood up, and despite there being no floor in this place, his feet felt like they were on a flat surface. It was... Weird how quickly he'd been able to adapt to this place. Well, maybe adapt wasn't the right word. More like... Learned to live with, even though it was still uncomfortable and he felt the need to scoop his brains out with an ice cream scoop and bash them with a hammer rising. This place was so dark, so quiet. There was no one around for as far as the eye could see. 

As his eyes scanned his surroundings, he didn't know what he was looking for. He was surrounded by stars and galaxies the like of which he'd never seen, and for a brief moment, he wondered if it was poetic irony that his machine would malfunction and send him to a place like this. He was an astrologer, and he was starting to get sick and tired of seeing nothing but stars. He missed the stupid, glow in the dark stars on Papyrus' ceiling that he used to see every night while Sans was tucking his brother into bed. And that's when he spotted it. 

It was... A hole. More than likely, a rift, of some sort. Whatever was on the other side of the rift was a different color, the red and pink based space clashing with the natural blue and green colors where he was now. Curiosity did kill the cat, but... It wasn't like he had much to lose. So, he approached the rift cautiously, and it was only then that he crawled through it, popping out on the other side. 

There was someone else here! Looking to be only a hundred feet away was someone else. And there was sound! The person stood in front of a screen, and on that screen was a tall skeleton and a smaller skeleton right next to him. Gaster didn't pay much attention to the screen though. "Hey! You, o-over there!"

He caught the attention of the other person and they popped into sight right in front of him before he could blink. Too close for comfort, the scientist took a few steps back and looked at the other person. 

It was... Him?

"U-um..." He swallowed. He didn't like this other Gaster. He carried himself in such a harsh looking way, the sweater he wore was a dark grey, and he was scowling. 

"And what universe are you from?" The other Gaster asked, voice deep. He raised an eyebrow. 

"Universe...?" He asked.

"The many worlds theory. Surely you've figured that out in whatever time you've been here that it's correct. Each world is called an Alternate Universe, every universe has a name. This is child's play."

"I've only been here for a few days." He explained. "I-I mean, yeah, I kinda already figured the many worlds theory out, but I have no idea what the name of my universe is. I was, um... Too caught up wanting to leave to really care about anything else."

The other Gaster only nodded. "I've been here for about twelve years."

The scientist's eyes widened. "Tw-twelve... Years...?"

"Twelve years." The other confirmed. "Some get out quicker, some slower, and some, never at all. It's written in my universe's code that I'm supposed to be stuck here for a little while longer."

"When do you get out...?" 

"Sometime after my former employer and old friend kills my eldest son." The other Gaster explained. "I'm from a universe called 'Calamitytale'."

"King Asgore?"

"The same."

"How... Old are you...?"

The other Gaster thought for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure. I think I got trapped here only a little while after my wife died."

"You had a wife? And kids?" Gaster asked. The other nodded.

"What kind of Universe are you from?"

He didn't quite know how to answer that. How was he supposed to answer that? He never really paid much attention to anything happening around him. It was fair to say, even, that the only worldview he had was of his personal life, the things he'd been involved with. "I come from a universe where we had two of the seven souls needed to break the barrier." He said. The other Gaster looked like he was listening, and he didn't question what a barrier was, so they obviously had that in their universe. "I was the Royal Scientist, and I lived and worked alone until I met someone. He worked in the lab with me."

"Ahh, one of the lab partner AU's. I'm familiar with those. Your assistant, I'm assuming you mean Sans?"

How did he...? Gaster nodded a little. "Yeah..."

"You wanna hear something funny?"

Something about this didn't seem right. This version of him didn't seem right. There was something about him that just radiated with distrust and mischievousness. But, the cat was curious, and although that's what killed it, satisfaction brought it back. "What is it...?"

"In this universe..." The other Gaster said. "Sans and Papyrus are my sons."

_**~~~~~** _

The rift was still there. 

It was too small to fit through, not that he wanted to get on the other side of it anymore, but it wasn't going anywhere. Now it just felt like the least of his worries.

There were universes where he was Sans' dad.

There were universes where that didn't stop them from getting together.

He didn't know how to feel about that.

Sick was the first thing that came to mind. The other Gaster lived in a universe where being related hadn't stopped Sans and Papyrus from getting together, though he felt that wasn't any of his business. But there was an infinite number of him, and an infinite amount of versions of Sans, and apparently, in some universes, they were father and son. And in some universes, even those Sans' and Gasters decided to... Start something. And that was the part that unsettled him. Thank stars he wasn't related to his Sans...

It seemed, however, that almost every other version of him that had ever existed had ended up in the Void, as they were all seeming to call it, at one point or another. Some of them got out in a short amount of time, months to a few years. The others waited decades. Some waited centuries. Some never got out. 

"What you need to do is you need to learn to adapt. That's what intelligence is. The ability to adapt to change." The other Gaster had said only a few moments after dropping the big 'in some universes, your boyfriend is your son' bomb. "You have a way to gather information here about any other universe in existence, and more importantly, to keep an eye on your own universe. Use the tools given to you. Find a way out."

That all just seemed so very overwhelming. He didn't even know why he was stuck here, how could he get out? This was hopeless... He'd probably be trapped here... Forever.

_**~~~Present Day~~~** _

The memory of that event stuck fast to his brain even now as he rolled a cigarette between his fingers. Sans was out watching a movie with Papyrus. Mettaton was in his room. Gaster sat alone at the dining table. 

He still remembered the first time he'd opened up the portal to his own timeline. 

He tried, without success, after catching a quick glimpse of a familiar blue jacket in the rift, to get through to the other side. Being erased from space and time, however, that didn't work. He wasn't able to get through the rift, like an invisible wall. But, he looked, and above the portal was floating, neon letters. 

 _Voidtale_. 

Why was this universe named that? He still didn't have any clue. He'd done countless amounts of research on other worlds when he'd been trapped in the Void. Underswap, Underfell, Undertale, Dusttale, Dancetale, Flowerfell, Ambertale, Outertale, Horrortale, the list went on and on. He'd seen so many different versions of everyone he'd ever known. In Underswap, King Asgore was the one who fleed to the Ruins when Queen Toriel announced with anger in her heart that every human/monster that fell down here (because there were different types of AU's, ones where they were monsters, and ones where they were humans) was to be killed and their soul was to be kept until they had seven. Undyne was an anxious scientist, and Alphys was the Captain of the Royal Guard. Sans was a sentry who trained under Alphys, and Papyrus was the lazy, tired older brother. 

Undertale was the mother universe. Most everything seen in Undertale was seen in countless other AU's. Sans was the lazy older brother, Papyrus, the upbeat trainee of Undyne the Undying, the Captain of the Royal Guard who was teaching Papyrus to make spaghetti. Alphys, the Royal Scientist elected after the old one fell into his own creation (real subtle there, Undertale), with dark secrets about her experimentation with Determination. It seemed to match his AU to a T, but then, why was this another AU of its own, under the name Voidtale?

He supposed it didn't really matter. Sighing, the former Royal Scientist put the cigarette between his lips and lit it. 

_**~~~~~** _

"So... You just saw it, and he bought it for you?"

"Yeah, basically," Sans replied. He looked at the blue ukelele in his hands, courtesy of Papyrus. "We went shopping after the movie, I saw it, he asked if I wanted it. I told him he didn't have to buy it for me, and then he said he knew how much I liked music, and he tried to convince me that learning another instrument could be good for me. Like a hobby."

"And you gave in?" Gaster asked. 

"Well, yeah, of course," Sans answered. "I don't think I'm capable of telling Papyrus no, to be honest."

"So, now you're just gonna learn another entire instrument just because Papyrus said?"

"I can't really say learning to play another instrument never crossed my mind. I heard the ukelele's pretty easy to learn, so it shouldn't even be that big of a bother." He put the ukelele down on the table. "Speaking of which... What, um... What do you do with your spare time? I don't think I ever asked that."

Yeah, Gaster had truthfully never been very open about his hobbies, and he was dreading the day Sans did ask. That being said, he still deserved an answer, and since he asked, it was a little too late to avoid this topic. "I used to draw a lot when I was younger." 

"Why don't you anymore?" Sans said. 

"I do, sometimes. Just... Usually when no one's looking." He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "And usually only when I have an idea of something to draw."

"Fair enough..." Sans said. He looked back at the ukelele. "Maybe I'll just start learning a shit ton of instruments and be a musician or something. I dunno. I don't really think I could write a song."

"What makes you say that?" Gaster asked. 

"Uh, well..." Sans laughed nervously. "I used to write poems when I was like, fifteen and sixteen. A little bit when I was seventeen. I didn't really like any of them, though. And poems and songs are pretty much the same."

Gaster was going to ask more about the poems when Sans' phone went off in his pocket. Sans pulled his phone out and looked at the screen. "What's it about?" Gaster asked.

"It's mom," Sans said. "She said she'd love to talk about travel arrangements so she could come over here as soon as possible. But, she also said she doesn't need us to pay for the expenses."

"If she's got it covered, it would be much quicker." Gaster hummed. "I was thinking it'd take at least three or four paychecks in order to be able to afford plane tickets."

"I wonder if she'd bring Bodoni with her," Sans said, staring at the phone screen. 

"You should ask her."

_heyyyy there, sans here. um if you got traveling expenses covered, that's cool. but um, could you bring bodoni with??_

Jeez, he hoped that didn't sound too desperate or something. "She's not usually very quick at texting back, so..." And as he said that, his phone went off again. 

_Yes, I could bring Bodoni with me to meet you! I'll start booking a flight. Can you tell me where you live, so I know which airport to fly to?_

"Oh. Okay." Sans said, reading the text. He texted her back, telling her where the nearest airport was, and she texted back almost immediately again. 

_Your sister and I are looking forward to meeting you :) I will let you know when it is that we'll be flying over._

_ok. you can basically show up anytime. someone's almost always available to pick you up from the airport._

"Kinda hard to wrap my head around this." He said, looking up from his phone. "I was at rock bottom only like, six months ago."

"The universe works in weird ways," Gaster said with a shrug. Sans sighed and nodded. 

"You can say that again."


	26. Twenty-Five - Stupid Floating Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans talks to his brother and his partner about his concerns regarding their mother and what she might think about his and Gaster's relationship. Also, they play Minecraft for like five paragraphs.

When Papyrus walked into the living room, he expected his older brother to be sitting at the table with his laptop open, working on his schoolwork. What he didn't expect was to see aforementioned older brother pacing back and forth, biting his nails. "Sans?"

Sans looked up at him and stopped his pacing as soon as he'd heard his younger brother pulling his hand away from his mouth. "Morning, Paps. You're, uh, up kinda early. I thought your shift didn't start till eleven?"

"It doesn't, but I need to get a shower, so I got up earlier... Um, what's wrong?"

"Wrong? Whattaya mean, Pap? Nothing's wrong."

"You're getting really bad at lying, Sans," Papyrus replied with a frown. "Really, what's got you pacing the living room at nine in the morning."

Sans sighed and took his phone out of his pocket, unlocking the screen and navigating a few things before handing the device to his brother. "Read the last few texts."

_Hello, Sans. I'm messaging to let you know I have a flight set up for your sister and I a month from now. I have a friend in the area who we'll be staying with. Sure is a small world. :)_

_alright cool. i'll see you then i guess._

_May I ask you something?_

_sure go ahead_

_Who is the person next to you in your profile picture?_

Papyrus recalled that his brother had recently changed his Facebook profile picture to a picture of him and Gaster. "Oh, she's talking about Gaster."

"And I have no idea what to tell her," Sans said. 

"Urm, you could tell her he's your boyfriend?" Papyrus replied, his tone inquisitive. 

"What if she isn't okay with it? What if she says I'm not allowed to be with him? What if-"

"Brother," Papyrus interrupted. "No offense to our mother, but whether she meant for us to be on our own or not, that's just how it ended up being. You're an adult, and even if you weren't, you've been making adult decisions most of your life. She doesn't really have a say in what you do, and if she has a problem with it, then she isn't worth your time because people who love you shouldn't try to make you feel bad for your decisions."

"I dunno..." Sans said. "I don't wanna end up screwing anything up."

"Talk to Gaster when he gets home, and maybe see what he says? Maybe you two could pretend to be business partners again for a little while until you can tell if she's okay with it. But, again, it really isn't up to her, and you don't  _need_  her approval."

Need, no. Want very badly, yes. "Alright, I'll talk to him." He said. 

"Glad to have been some help," Papyrus said with a smile. 

_**~~~~~** _

"What is this game about, again...?"

"Well, you have to gather supplies in the world by mining and crafting stuff. Sometimes you have to make an item just to mine one item so you can make another thing. When the sun goes down, hostile creatures come out at night and try to kill you. If your HP drops to zero, you have to respawn, and you lose all your stuff."

"So, it's a survival game."

"Yeah," Sans replied. "Papyrus and Undyne introduced me to this game, though, uh, when they played it, they just played in creative mode. Paps made houses out of diamond, and Undyne made forest fires and blew shit up." The game finally loaded in, and they were in a new world. "You gotta chop some trees."

"How do I do that?" Gaster asked. 

"You go up to a tree, and you punch it," Sans said before moving his character up to a tree and making them punch the tree in example before the block broke and popped into his inventory. "Like that."

"That's absolutely ridiculous. You can't chop a tree down with your hands. Why is that a function?"

Sans shrugged. "It's a video game, and you gotta start somewhere. The game can't just hand you an ax. That'd take the challenge element out. It's supposed to be hard."

Sans watched his boyfriend struggle with the controls for a few minutes before he finally managed to punch a piece of wood into submission so that it would go into his inventory before the former scientist glared at the screen. "Why is the rest of the tree still there? I took out the bottom piece."

"Gravity only affects a few blocks, like sand and gravel. Everything else kinda defies the laws of physics." Sans moved his mouse around. "It's, uh, already midday in game. We should keep gathering stuff before night comes and zombies bite our faces off."

By the time the square sun was setting in the sky, they had two beds, a small, dirt shack, a single piece of coal and some wood planks. Not a very productive day. And it wasn't too long after that they quit the game so Sans could start up on dinner. They let their computers sit closed on the table as they went to the kitchen, and Gaster helped Sans make dinner (mostly by passing things, since they both agreed that was his level of usefulness in a kitchen, save for making a pot of coffee or a bowl of cereal). "Can you hand me the milk? Bottom shelf."

"Got you," Gaster said. He opened the fridge and located the half gallon jug before pulling it out and setting it on the counter next to where Sans was working. "There you go, my lovely sir."

"Why, thank you, kind gentleman." He picked the milk up and poured a splash into the pot before setting it back down. "Anything noteworthy happen at work today?"

"I can't really think of anything. Some kids fought in the cafeteria, but that happens a bit too often for it to really be news." The former scientist said, looking thoughtful. "Uh, someone pulled the fire alarm, probably to get out of school since there wasn't a fire, but the school hasn't identified the kid yet."

"So, middle school students just run around and act like idiots all day?" Sans asked.

"Pretty much. Most of my job is babysitting and trying to keep my superior from murdering all the kids and then himself. He looks pretty close to doing it most days, too. All the groups we get in a day are delinquents."

"Pffff." Sans scoffed. "Why do people even show up to school if they're not gonna do the work?"

"It's a legal obligation here on the surface. People over seven and under eighteen must be receiving an education."

"Why force someone into a building they don't wanna be in, to get an education they don't want?"

Gaster shrugged. "The education system up here is flawed, at best, and catastrophic, at worst."

Sans went silent for a moment as he stirred the pot. "Hey, so, uh... My mother asked about you earlier. Cuz you're in my profile picture, yeah?"

"Oh, what did she ask?"

"She just wanted to know who you were." He replied.

"And what does she think?"

Sans looked around a little. "Uhhh, see, that's the problem... I didn't answer her yet."

"Why not?" Gaster asked. 

"I don't know what to tell her..." Sans replied. "I don't want to upset anyone, and I don't know what she'd think about us. Pap kinda suggested I play it off like you're my business partner until we can tell what her feelings are about the subject, and I just wanted your input before I tell her something like that."

"If you want to tell her we work together, you can," Gaster answered. "Regardless of her feelings, though, you should eventually tell her. Even if she doesn't like it, she'll have to live with your decisions."

"Pap said that, too." He heard his phone go off in his pocket before he looked at Gaster. "Take over stirring while I get that, please?"

"Sure thing." Sans stepped away from the stove and Gaster took over stirring the contents in the pot while Sans pulled his phone out. A new text from his mom.

_Hello???_

_shit sorry i thought i replied back. guess not lol. uhhh to answer your question, that's my coworker. well, technically he's my boss. the old royal scientist, dr. gaster? yea i work for him._

Well, there wasn't any taking that back now. If he were to regret the action, it'd be too late. It was out there, now. It was said. That was the information she had, so now she was none the wiser. 

He was probably gonna have to deal with that later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is such a short chapter, but I'm about to work on the Valentine's Day chapter, so I need to put effort into that lol


	27. Twenty-Six - Valentine's Day Sucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get steamy before I cocktease the entire audience. 
> 
> AKA the chapter where they go all the way and I don't write it all. You're left to wonder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Is a week late for Valentine's Day*
> 
> *Doesn't even make a good, long chapter in those seven days*
> 
> *Wrote a zombie fic in that time*
> 
> *Is a disappointment*
> 
> Speaking of aforementioned zombie fic, you can read it on AO3 riiiiight here http://archiveofourown.org/works/13634610 if you can't copy paste that, just go into my works on Archive and you can find it there.

Grillby's bustled with energy everywhere you looked. Ever since humans had reached the surface, Old Man Gribblez, or, Grillby Sr, to be more formal, had started working around the establishment again. It was cool to see the restaurant's original owner dart around the place with a cane, especially since it had only been Grillby Jr. working there for so long. 

The pair sat in comfortable silence while waiting for their orders to arrive. Gaster scribbled something on a napkin while Sans looked at the new menu. So many new things had been added, but he had a feeling nothing on here could top his usual order. Order of burg, extra pickles, an order of fries and a large drink. It was pretty cool, though, that Grillby's had a breakfast menu, now, and that they were open on Sunday.

Grillby walked over to the booth they were sitting in and quietly watched Sans and Gaster for a moment before clearing his throat. They looked up at him. "Hello, Sans." His voice was as quiet as Gaster remembered.

"Heya, Grillbz," Sans replied happily.

"The usual?"

"Yeap," Sans said. Grillby looked at Gaster, and the former scientist took a quick look at the menu.

"You serve pizza now?"

"Yes," Grillby replied. "This building is bigger than the other one, and it's easier to get certain ingredients on the surface. So, some things got added to the menu."

"I'll, um, have a slice of pepperoni pizza, then," Gaster said, drumming his fingers on the table nervously. Grillby took no notice of Gaster's anxiousness and looked at Sans.

"A drink?"

"Uhhh," he took a glance at Gaster. Yeah, he'd better be the one to choose. The former scientist already didn't like how many people there were here. He wouldn't wanna talk to people, too. "Just a bottle of whatever." He answered with a shrug and watched his friend nod silently, scribbling the order down on a notepad as he started walking towards the kitchen. "This place got like, ten times better since we got to the surface." 

"How long did it take to get this place up and running after the move?" Gaster asked, looking around the room. 

"Uh, well, not that long, actually. Like, two weeks?"

"You only started coming here again a few months ago," Gaster said. He looked at Sans, and Sans played with the zipper on his jacket. 

"Yeah, I didn't leave the house all that much when we got up here." And then they stopped talking. Good going, Gaster. Nice conversation topics you've got there,  _you miserable-_ "Uh, Gast?"

"Hm?" Gaster snapped back to reality. 

"Thanks, for bringing me here instead of some fancy restaurant," Sans said. "I don't think I even own any clothes suitable to wear somewhere like that."

"Well, you already like this place, and it's close to home," Gaster replied. "And you're not particularly picky, either."

"I'm easy to please," Sans said with a shrug. 

Soon, their meals and a bottle of rum were placed on the table in front of them, and after Grillby placed their meals on the table, he grabbed a couple glasses and put one in front of them each. "Enjoy your meal." He said before walking away from the table to go take care of other customers. He wouldn't have admitted this, but Gaster felt something ugly gnarl in his soul seeing Sans watch the other walk away. He pushed the jealousy down where it could rot. 

"So, Pap and Mettaton aren't gonna be there when we get back." Sans brought up casually, dragging one of his french fries through some ketchup. "They're gonna be gone the entire weekend."

"Mmhm," Gaster replied, recalling the conversation he'd had with Papyrus earlier.  _"Are you sure you and my brother are gonna be okay without me here?? We can always cancel, and stay home!!"_ He, of course, told Papyrus that they'd be fine on their own and that he and Mettaton shouldn't cancel their romantic weekend alone for their sakes. Gaster raised a brow. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothin'," Sans replied. "Nothin' at all."

The former scientist blinked before it clicked. "Oh, okay." He said. 

The entire rest of the meal was spent with Gaster taking the tiniest bites out of his slice of pizza every now and then, with Sans pouring them glass after glass of rum before the bottle was nearly empty. Gaster figured they'd probably have to take a shortcut home, at this rate. Once they did finally finish their meals and had decided to quit on the alcohol, Gaster left the money on the table with a tip before scribbling a quick note on a napkin that the change was meant to go towards Sans' tab. He'd never tell Sans, of course, but Gaster had a feeling he could pay his partner's entire tab off right under Sans' nose if he played his cards right. 

_**~~~~~** _

Despite being a bit more than a little tipsy, Gaster still managed to react quickly enough, arms wrapping around Sans' midsection as the other tripped over his own feet and almost fell to the floor. "Careful." He said, letting go of his partner after leaning him against the wall for support. 

"We prolly shoulda just asked for a soda or somethin'." Sans slurred, grinning a little in amusement. Gaster shrugged. 

"Hindsight won't get us anywhere." He replied. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah."

"Then, I'd say it doesn't matter what we had to drink."

Well, he had a point. Sans stumbled away from the wall, no longer needing it for support. "Did you have fun...?" He asked. 

"Surprisingly, yes," Gaster said. "Turns out alcohol makes social interaction easier."

"Pshh." Sans scoffed. "I coulda told you that years ago."

The pair looked at each other, and Gaster grabbed his boyfriend's hand, rubbing circles with his thumb. "I didn't get to give you your present yet."

"You didn't have to get anythin' for me." 

"Wanted to." The former scientist shrugged. He reached into his jacket pocket. "Close your eyes. Sans listened, closing his eyes as Gaster pulled the gift out of his pocket. The former scientist took one last look at the small box in his hands before looking back to his boyfriend. "Alright, you can open them." Sans opened his eyes, his gaze resting on Gaster for a moment before he looked down to the small, black box in his hand. He looked back up at Gaster, confusion very prominent on his face. Gaster flipped the ring box open with his thumb. "I, uh..." He cleared his throat. "Noticed you don't have the promise ring I gave you from before."

Sans nodded a little, looking down a bit. "Yeah." He said. 

"So, I got you a new one." He let go of Sans' hand and took the ring out of the box before closing it and putting it back in his pocket. Sans gave Gaster his hand again, and the former scientist slipped the ring onto his ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

"Thank you," Sans said quietly. He looked at the ring before looking back up at his partner again. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything."

Gaster shook his head. "That's fine. I just like spoiling you." Sans stood on his tiptoes before almost falling. Luckily, Gaster caught him again. "Easy."

Curse this man for being so tall. Sans looked up at his partner, thought for a moment, then grabbed the older man's tie and pulled his face down to his level before kissing him. Gaster felt his face heat up as the blood rushed to his cheeks as he closed his eyes and kissed Sans back. He felt the world around them disappear, and when he opened his eyes when the kiss was over, they were in their room. Sans released his grip on his tie. They sat on the edge of the bed. "Sorry," Sans said with a small nervous laugh. 

Instead of saying something, like 'no, don't worry, it's fine', or something along those lines, Gaster instead put a hand on the back of his partner's neck as he leaned down and kissed him again. He put his other hand on Sans' waist while the other wrapped his arms around his neck, leaning them both back until he was laying down, and Gaster had to basically straddle him. 

Tonight was gonna be interesting. 


	28. Twenty-Seven - Ava and Bodoni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava and Bodoni finally show up, and Sans is left with a lot of questions and concerns after they leave.

He watched the small metallic loop fall down to the end where the top of the small wooden heart that occupied the same rope stopped it in its tracks. He looked up from the necklace for a moment to see what his partner was doing, to find the older man straightening his tie in the mirror, a common sight around Gaster. He looked back down at the necklace in his hands before re-tying the knot that kept the necklace together and putting the necklace back on, tucking it under his shirt to hide the ring before he pulled the edges of his jacket in for extra precaution. The former scientist glanced at Sans without having to turn his head at all, given how close they were. "You ready?" He asked.

Sans nodded a little, and despite the fact that he knew his boyfriend was happy, he seemed quieter than usual. "Yeah." Even as his reply left his mouth, Gaster knew something was off. He held his tongue about it, though, resolving instead to put an arm around his smaller partner and rub small circles on his back as the other fixed his hair in the mirror next to him. 

"We don't want to take too much longer. Their flight gets there in twenty minutes, and it's a fifteen-minute drive." He pointed out. Sans nodded and gave no verbal response whatsoever. He gently pulled away and left the room, leaving Gaster standing in front of the mirror by himself. He straightened his tie before following his partner out of the room. 

Papyrus drove, and of course, he did. He was the only one with a car, for now. Gaster planned on getting one at some point so that getting to work would be easier, but he wasn't sure when that would be possible. It was a long-term goal. Almost the entire car drive was silent, save for Papyrus exchanging a few words with Gaster every now and then, followed by long silences before he said anything else. They got to the airport faster than the former scientist would have thought, and yet, eleven minutes felt like forever. Thank the stars it was over too because everyone got out of the car as quickly as they could just to be surrounded by the noise of other people. Anything but awkward silence. 

The building was warmer than it was outside, given that it was March and still cold outside. People talked quietly amongst themselves, children ran around in circles while their parents tried to get them to calm down. Alas, it was in vain. You can't bring children to the airport to catch a plane, and then miss the plane. Because then you have to deal with the aforementioned children as they grow bored and more frustrated every moment they're forced to sit still. 

A loud, female, robotic voice over the speaker announced that a flight was landing, and immediately, the trio's eyes lit up. That was the one. That was the flight they were on. Papyrus giggled giddily as he hopped up and down in place, clapping his hands. "That's them, that's them!!" He exclaimed. Gaster looked down at Sans, only to see his smaller boyfriend's eyes darting back and forth at small groups of people streaming in through the side doors. His younger brother joined him, and then they were all staring at the door, eyes peeled wide open, waiting for a glimpse. When the groups of people were coming in slower and slower, and the plane was obviously getting emptier and emptier, the tension was high. Had they missed the plane? No, that was ridiculous. Ava would have contacted one of them if they'd missed it, right? Where were they?

Sans had been half considering going back to the car when he spotted two more people come in through the side door, one lugging a sparkly pink suitcase behind her, while the other walked in with a duffle bag, a backpack, and a normal suitcase. The pair of women stopped in their tracks as they started looking around, before the younger woman caught sight of him and waved, a grin on her face. She tugged her suitcase behind her, looking to be struggling, but also looking like she was pulling as quickly as she could. Papyrus waved back as he bounced on his feet. The other woman followed behind the mirror of himself Sans was looking at. She finally made it a few yards away before she picked the bag up with magic and ran the rest of the way over before dropping her luggage to the ground. "You're Sans, right?"

She was really forward, and Sans had to take a moment before answering, his voice caught in his throat. "Um, yeah." The taller girl basically lept forward at him, leaning down a bit as she wrapped her arms around him in a very fast and disorientating hug. He didn't have any time to react before she was done hugging him and Papyrus was happily yelling something Sans didn't quite catch as he tried to reground himself. The older woman, who had packed smarter, was only feet away now as she continued to approach before she stopped an arm and a half's length away, looking at the Sans-lookalike girl and then at him. Words escaped him again, and the former scientist patted him on the shoulder a couple times to snap him out of it. It worked, and he cleared his throat. "Uh, hi." He managed. She stepped forward a bit, seeming about as speechless as he had been a moment ago. Gaster, Papyrus, and Bodoni (Papyrus and Bodoni were already getting along quite well, hugging each other) all watched the pair, and Sans could feel his heart rate rising, being surrounded by this many people, and under so much pressure to make a decent first impression. 

Ava was the one, however, to make a move and make a first impression. Much like Bodoni had a moment ago, the older woman suddenly wrapped her arms around him without any warning, though being his mother, not his sister, she took it that extra step forward, cradling the back of his head with her hand and squeezing him tightly. Unlike the previous hug he'd received, Sans returned the gesture, shaking arms lifting as they wrapped tightly around her midsection. They stood like that for a minute before she pulled away, cupping her eldest son's face in her hands, Sans' arms still slightly wrapped around her, like a small child refusing to leave their parent's side the day they start school. She smiled. "I thought I'd never see you two again..." 

He didn't reply, only looked at her before Papyrus happily brought all the attention to himself. "We're so glad to meet you!! Sans has been talking about this for weeks!!!"

"Uhm, he's exaggerating."

"No, he's not." Gaster denied. "You were counting down hours three days ago."

Okay, maybe he had been a bit obsessive. He was happy, though, because then the older woman (his mother, that was gonna take some getting used to) directed her attention from her youngest son to the oldest among the trio. Gaster fixed his glasses as she looked at him. "You're the one in the picture with Sans, right?" She asked.

"Yes, that's me." He replied. He held out his hand, and she reached out, shaking his hand firmly. "I'm Dr. Gaster, Sans' business partner."

Bodoni gasped beside them. "Wow, you're the old Royal Scientist! I'm such a huge fan of your work!"

"It's nice to meet you, Dr," Ava replied. "How long have you and my son worked together?"

"Six years." He answered. "He's a delight to work with, once you get past the paper airplane attacks." Sans had a feeling Gaster was never gonna let him live that down. 

"Come on, let's go!!!" Papyrus exclaimed happily. He picked up Bodoni's suitcase and lifted it above his head, resting it on one of his shoulders. "We must make haste and drive home!"

Sans slid in the back seat near the window, right behind his brother's seat before Bodoni slid into the back next to him, and Ava followed after, closing the door behind her and buckling up as Papyrus started the car. Bodoni turned her head and looked at him, and Sans felt like he was looking in a mirror again. She had the same face, same nose, and eyes. The same gap in her front teeth that showed when she talked or smiled, and right now she was smiling right at him and it reminded him a bit of the permanent grin he once donned every day in the Underground.  

"So, you work with  _the_  Dr. Gaster?" She asked quietly. He nodded. 

"Yeah."

"What do you two do?"

"I was his lab assistant when he was still the Royal Scientist." Well, that didn't help. He had to think of what to tell her they were doing now. "We, um, run really important top-secret experiments."

"Really?" She asked, eyes lighting up and grin widening. The resemblance was so uncanny, but then, it made sense. They  _were_  twins. 

He nodded, not liking the answer he'd given, but knowing that the lie would be exposed eventually, anyway. "Papyrus has a way cooler job, though. He's a lifeguard. Right, Paps?"

That fueled the fire. Papyrus went on for most of the rest of the car ride about how important he was, saving lives at the local indoor pool. Such brave, daring feats that only the Great Papyrus could handle according to Papyrus probably. They were pulling in a parking space outside the apartment building before you could say 'hot cat' ten times, and then his younger brother's charisma and charm kept Bodoni and Ava hooked onto his every word as he gave them the tour of their small apartment. "And this," He paused, looking at his brother and the former scientist for a moment before looking back at their cherished guests, "is Sans' room."

He didn't like that they were hiding their relationship like this, but he simply bit his tongue and played along with the act. It was working, too. Ava and Bodoni seemed none the wiser, and soon they were all sitting in the living room, save for Papyrus who was making his 'celebratory spaghetti' for their mother and sister's arrival. "So, you're a scientist, and your brother is a lifeguard?"

"Yeah," Sans replied. "Pap only just got the lifeguard job, but I've been working with Gaster for six years now."

"What did you end up majoring in in school?"

"Ah, well," Sans rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm currently majoring in chemistry and astrology, but I didn't go to school before this. I only got the job cuz Dings here wanted the King to leave him alone about hiring an assistant so he wasn't cooped up inside by himself all day."

"Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have hired him," Gaster said honestly. He and Sans had already gone over this a few times themselves, knowing that Ava and Bodoni would have been curious about this kind of stuff. 

Ava looked conflicted to hear that. "Oh, well, how are your classes now? Did Papyrus go to school?"

"I've got an A in almost everything." He replied. "And yeah, Paps went to school. Snowdin Elementary, Snowdin Middle, and Waterfall High. Snowdin, uh, was too small for a high school, so his best friend started walking him to school after he graduated to middle school."

"How did you end up in Snowdin...?" Ava asked. "That's so far away from where we lived in New Home."

"I don't have any idea. I can't remember anything from before waking up in the forest outside of Snowdin. I walked a bit before we found it, and we were taken in for the night by the Shopkeeper, cuz it was snowing really hard." He answered. "Then, we left, and... It was just me and Paps for the next several years."

"How long were you and Papyrus alone...?"

"Til I turned eighteen and Dings hired me."

Ava and Bodoni both looked a bit shocked at everything coming from Sans' mouth. "You mean, it was just you taking care of Papyrus for like... Twelve years...?"

"Yeah."

Papyrus poked his head in the room. "Sans was a very good caretaker! He made sure we always had something to eat, and he always read me bedtime stories and protected me from the big kids!! Of course, his bad jokes were always annoying, but that was probably the worst thing he ever did." He dropped the large spoon he was holding as he gasped and ran off down the hall, yelling 'wait, I'll go get the photo album!!'. 

"Oh, boy," Sans muttered. Papyrus ran back in the room with a large, dark red binder that had stickers of varying sorts on the cover. Reminded Gaster a bit of Sans' leather wallet with all those stickers and how much the thing looked like it was falling apart at the seams. Papyrus settled himself on the couch between his sister and his mother with the book on his lap, and the former scientist couldn't help but be curious about the contents of the pictures in there. He wondered what Sans looked like as a kid. Of course, his partner gave him a begging look, asking him not to look without saying anything at all, to which Gaster wordlessly let Sans know he had no intention of not indulging in this embarrassing moment. 

"Here's a picture of me on Christmas when Sans got me the camera I used to take all the pictures in here! I was five, and he was twelve." The picture showed Papyrus sitting on the floor in a pile of wrapping paper with one of the bows from the presents on his head, grinning up at the camera while Sans' thumb very clearly blocked the camera's sight at the edge. "And this is a picture I took of my best friend the same day." It showed Undyne with a wide, toothy grin. She had both of her eyes, so she must have lost it, later on, Gaster thought. 

A couple pictures later, and Papyrus flipped to a page in the middle of the binder which showed a picture of a slightly younger Sans, whose hair was a mess, and who tried to block the camera by shoving his hand against the lens. You could see between his fingers, though, and the expression he wore looked tired and dull, and up until this point, where Sans wore a smile and a tee shirt in most pictures, in this one, he wore a straight, closed mouth and a long sleeve shirt. Something he still did now for... Probably pretty similar reasons as the one in this picture. The worst part? He couldn't have been older than a young teenager in this. Even Papyrus looked a bit... Uneasy looking at this picture. "Um, you get the picture." Sans joked. "Pap's super into photography." 

"I see," Ava said. The smoke alarm in the next room started to go off and Papyrus ran off to deal with that headache, leaving the picture book on the table. "Well, I happen to have pictures of my own!" She announced happily, pulling a small book out of her purse. "They're mostly of Sans and Bodoni. Papyrus doesn't show up in here until later."

"Oh, really?" Gaster said. 

Ava nodded, opening the small book up to reveal a picture on each 'page', held in small, plastic pouches, The first picture was of two newborn babies, one in a blue towel, and the other in a pink towel. "They mixed Sans and Bodoni up," She laughed a little as she showed Gaster. "The one in the pink is Sans."

"Mmmmmooooom, cmon, you're embarrassing uusssss." Bodoni whined. Gaster stared at the baby in the pink blanket in the picture. Fast asleep, whereas the one in the blue blanket was awake, eyes open looking at the camera, the same shade of blue as Sans' eyes. Well, duh, they were twins. Of course, they had the same eyes. It was still hard to wrap his head around the fact that Sans did have a twin, though. He was sure, however, it was harder for Sans to come to terms with. 

By the end of the night, they were sitting at the table after having a plate or two each of Papyrus' spaghetti. He was getting better at cooking, so Ava and Bodoni would probably never know the strife Sans' tastebuds had to go through for several years with his brother's inedible cooking. "I think we should call a cab and get home, it's a bit late." Ava finally said. "But, we're gonna be in the area for a while, now that we've gotten in contact with you."

"Just come over whenever you want!!!" Papyrus said, very enthusiastically. "I still have a lot of questions, and I bet Sans does, too!"

"We'll try to be back again tomorrow." Bodoni said. Ava called a cab, and they were there a couple more minutes until the cab driver honked his horn outside. Sans, Gaster, and Papyrus walked them out, and before getting into the cab, Bodoni hugged her brothers super tight and super quickly, again pulling away before Sans could react. She got in the cab, everyone exchanged farewells, and the car drove off. 

_**~~~~~** _

Gaster stared at the screen, focusing as much as he could on the task at hand. "Sans, we need to go on a mining trip to get more stone."

"Okay."

"Do you think we should just strip mine, or...?"

"Okay."

"Are you listening to me?"

"Okay."

The answer was no, then. Gaster looked over at his partner who held the controller in his hands tensely, not really doing anything in the game but stand in the corner of the room. His mind seemed elsewhere. So, he took the controller from Sans and paused both their games, which snapped Sans out of whatever kind of stoop he was in. "What's wrong? Are they not like how you hoped?"

"No, they're great." Sans replied. "That's just it... If they're so great, which they are; they don't have any LV or EXP, so they've never hurt a fly. If they're so great, though, why did me and Pap end up alone...?"

That was a good question... That Gaster couldn't quite answer. It was obvious Ava and Bodoni already loved Sans and Papyrus. Bodoni treated Sans like a childhood friend because she actually remembered him even though he didn't remember her at all. They both seemed to care a lot. And yet, Sans woke up in the snow, alone with his baby brother, and Ava never did anything to fix that. Why...? "I don't know." He said. "You'll have to ask them tomorrow."

Sans nodded. "I guess, yeah..."

"Do you think we can tell them about us yet?"

Sans shrugged. "I dunno, but I'm not gonna keep us a secret much longer whether they're on board with it or not."

The former scientist saved the game while magic hands turned the console off. "I think that's enough video games for one night... It's time to hit the sack, anyway."

As they settled into bed, and Gaster had several magic hands getting everything as it should be, leaving the door cracked open to leave the hall light in, pulling the blankets up over him and Sans, turning out the lamp, the former scientist rested his forehead against Sans, kissing his partner's cheek before pulling away and moving Sans' hair out of his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Sans said. They laid down, and Sans found himself naturally drawn to lay his head on Gaster's chest, the older man wrapping an arm around him as he closed his eyes. 

"Goodnight, Sans..."

"Night..."


	29. Twenty-Eight - Sweater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a minor relapse, and Gaster tries his best to assess the situation. In assessing the situation, however, he unwittingly spills the beans on his and Sans' relationship to Ava and Bodoni.

Gaster was not a heavy sleeper, and everyone knew it at this point, especially Sans. He even woke the former scientist up sometimes just by getting out of bed, even if he tried to be super careful. Sometimes, if Gaster had been exhausted when he went to sleep and hadn't been in dreamland for very long, it was a tiny bit easier to not wake him. So, when Gaster woke up and looked out the window, seeing that it was still dark out, he was alarmed to see that Sans wasn't next to him, and wondered how his partner had gotten out of bed without waking him in the process. 

Of course, that question and more were put to rest when the older man heard something coming from his and Sans' bathroom. It sounded like... Crying...? As he heard another choked sob from behind the door, Gaster threw the covers off of him and got out of bed, walking swiftly over to the bathroom door and knocking. The sobbing immediately stopped. "Sans...?"

"Yeah, Gast?" It was obvious from the tone of his boyfriend's voice and the small sniffles that followed his response that he was trying to hide the fact that he was crying. Gaster frowned but focused on the task at hand, which was getting in that bathroom and finding out what was wrong. 

"Are you okay, love?" He asked. "I heard crying, is something wrong?" Sans looked at the tiled floor under him, trying to think of something to say. After he didn't reply for a while, having zoned out looking at the floor, Gaster knocked again, and Sans' eyes shot towards the door. "Sans...?"

What was he supposed to say? He didn't know how to tell him, didn't know how to even look Gaster in the eye when the older man eventually got sick of his unresponsiveness and opened the door. Anxiety and something else he didn't have a name for wormed its way into his soul, which, like his heart, pounded in his chest and made it hard to breathe. He had to think of something to say. "Don-Don't be mad, please?" He said weakly. 

Now Gaster was concerned. If not before, definitely now. As a pair of magic hands grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and brought them over to him, the former scientist slipped them on before putting a hand on the door handle. "Don't be mad about what?"

"Just don't be mad..." He heard in reply. His partner's voice sounded so quiet and broken, and he hadn't heard Sans sound like this for a while. Ever since he started therapy, and taking his medication, Sans was fine. It didn't cure him, and he knew Sans still had a while to go before he was even close to recovery... But he hadn't sounded like this in months, and Gaster didn't know what to expect on the other side of the door. 

His throat felt dry and constricted. He didn't know what else to say. He supposed there wasn't much else he really could say. So, he started turning the doorknob slowly, not pushing the door open until he had turned the knob as far as it would go, stalling for the sake of... Well, he didn't know how that was helping, and it probably wasn't, but that was the way he did it. He pushed the door open just as slowly, watching as a scene of something violent unraveled before him. 

Sans looked up from the bathroom floor, gripping his wrist tightly as blood flowed down his arms onto the white tiling and his shirt. Beside him, lying bloodied on the floor was a pocket knife. He was visibly pale as he looked back down at the floor. Neither of them said or did anything for several moments until Gaster finally rushed into the bathroom, kneeling in front of his partner, whose blood-soaked hand released the death grip it had on his wrist, dropping to his side as his freshly injured arm shook from shot nerves. 

Gaster immediately grabbed at Sans' arm, suddenly but without malice, as he started looking at the new cuts on Sans' arm. Questions swirled around his head, and he didn't know where to start, so he didn't. Rather, he got back up and very quickly went into the cabinet under the sink where Papyrus had put a first aid kit. Sans' brother had always been careful about this kind of stuff. It was better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, Papyrus always said. So, he always made sure there was a medkit under the sink. It was coming in handy today. 

Sans still didn't look at him as Gaster began cleaning the wounds with alcohol wipes. The cuts weren't that deep, thank the stars. Sans seemed unfazed by the alcohol wipes, but then again, he... Looked like he must have a lot on his mind. Alcohol wipes were the least of his problems. The silence between the two was awkward and tense, and honestly, it hadn't been like this in years... The former scientist didn't even know how to start a conversation right now, after all this. So, he just silently kept cleaning his boyfriend's cuts. Once they were finally cleaned, he took the roll of bandages out of the kit and started wrapping Sans' arm up. 

"I'm sorry..." Sans was finally the one to break the silence, though not very loudly or for very long. 

"I'm not mad at you." The former scientist said. "I'm just... Confused. What triggered this...?"

Sans shrugged. "I dunno, I... Felt a bit numb, I guess..."

This didn't make any sense. "What do you mean...?"

He looked up from the floor again and finally made eye contact. But his gaze felt cold, and his eyes were like sheets of ice, a paler blue than they usually were. He didn't hold eye contact for very long, though, and he looked anywhere else. "Nothing..." He finally said. "I don't know what I mean, I'm just... Tired."

Neither of them said anything again after that until the scientist put the first aid kit away and picked Sans up in his arms. His partner was definitely tired since he didn't react in a shocked way like most people would be if they were picked up. Instead, Sans just dropped his head on the older man's shoulder as Gaster carried him out of the bathroom and back into their bedroom. "Let's get some clean clothes for you."

He set Sans on the edge of the bed, where the other sat patiently while Gaster searched drawers for something clean Sans could wear. Unfortunately, Papyrus hadn't been doing laundry lately and had told everyone that now that he had two jobs, they were gonna have to pull their own weight. Sans hadn't been doing his own laundry, so the shirt he was wearing right now happened to be his last clean one. Well, clean up until that happened. Oh, well. Sans would just have to wear something of his. 

After his unsuccessful search of something for Sans to wear of his own, he finally pulled one of his own grey sweaters out of the dresser. He closed all the drawers and walked over to Sans. "Lift your arms up, please?"

Sans cooperated, lifting his arms above his head even though he clearly didn't have the energy for it. Good enough. Gaster set the sweater on the bed next to Sans as he pulled the blood splattered white t-shirt off his partner and threw it on the floor. That could stay there till morning. With the bloodied shirt off now, Gaster struggled a bit to get the sweater on Sans, but soon the large garment was on him. Of course, he wouldn't tell him out loud, but... Sans looked cute in his clothing. It always made him look smaller than he already was. So, he didn't mind that Sans was wearing one of his sweaters. 

Now wasn't the time to be thinking about how cute Sans was, now was the time for going back to bed and hoping there wouldn't be any more problems of this nature tonight. Well, more like hope it would never happen ever again, but that wasn't really a realistic goal, now was it?

He got back in bed next to his partner, vaguely aware that the only reason he could still see to do anything was that the bathroom light was still on. Magic could take care of that in a moment. He looked at Sans, who was still making a point to not make eye contact or even really call any kind of attention to himself. Still, he looked miserable... So, Gaster did what he was best at, leaned down to Sans' height and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. Despite how distant Sans had been for the past ten minutes, he wasn't gonna pass up a hug. So, he returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Gaster and resting his head on his shoulder. "I love you, Sans."

"I love you, too, Gaster..." Sans mumbled. A bandaged hand rose up to cradle the back of Sans' head, and within a few moments, the smaller male was softly snoring in his arms. He sighed as he laid down, careful not to wake Sans. Magic hands took his glasses off and returned them to the nightstand next to him where they belonged, while another hand turned the bathroom light off and closed the door, leaving him in darkness. He would clean the bathroom tomorrow... One look at the clock told him it was four in the morning. Okay, not tomorrow, technically later today; it was already a different day. 

What had caused Sans to do that? Sure, he seemed a bit upset before they went to bed earlier, but he'd seen Sans worse off and not hurt himself, even in the few months since he'd started therapy and taking medicine. And that cold look in his eyes... At that moment alone, Gaster could have sworn he was looking at a killer. But he wasn't. Sans wouldn't kill anyone, he was appalled with murder, and had even, on several occasions, tried to take down a kid just because they were a murderer. It'd make Sans a hypocrite to hate Frisk if he just turned around and did the same thing, wouldn't it...?

_**~~~~~~~~~~** _

The sound of an alarm clock going off made Sans wonder why the alarm was set on a Sunday. There wasn't any point in waking up on a Sunday, much less at-- he looked at the clock-- ten in the morning. He sighed deeply as he got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He hadn't forgotten what he'd done last night, there was still blood on the floor as he aimed and missed at the toilet, and the stinging in his arm let him know there were quite a few cuts on his arms, despite not being able to see them, since they were covered by bandages. He didn't remember why he did it, or what happened while he was doing it, or what had triggered it. All he remembered was waking up, going to the bathroom, pulling a pocket knife out of who knows where and going to town on his arm. He told Gaster he felt numb...

Well, he still kind of did, but he was probably going to see his mother and sister again today, and he didn't want to explain this to them. He didn't even really want to explain it to Gaster. Hell, he didn't know if he even knew the explanation himself. 

He put on a pair of sweatpants but didn't bother changing his shirt. There wasn't anything he could change into. Ever since Papyrus stopped doing laundry because of getting a second job, Sans found that most days he didn't have anything clean to wear. Gaster's seater would do for right now, though. With all that said and done, he slipped on his slippers and walked out of his bedroom, into the living room. That was when Sans knew, he fucked up. 

As soon as he walked into the living room, he spotted everyone. Papyrus, Bodoni, Ava, and Gaster were all talking, with Ava, Bodoni and Gaster sat on the couch while Papyrus sat in a dining room chair next to the couch. As soon as he walked into the doorway, they all spotted him, and he noticed that Gaster just so happened to be wearing one of his other grey sweaters. Well, this was going to be fun. Especially since it was obvious that this was one of Gaster's sweaters. It looked the exact same as the one his partner was wearing right now. 

Papyrus facepalmed as soon as Bodoni asked, "Why are you two wearing the same sweater?"

Sans and Gaster both exchanged looks while Sans screamed internally. Great, just great. He hadn't even managed to keep this a secret for two whole days. He was gonna have to tell them now. What would they think? What if they didn't approve? What if-

He managed to snap himself out of his panic before the silence lasted for too long. He gave Gaster a small nod, and the former scientist began explaining. "We're not really business partners." He said. 

"You're boyfriends?" Bodoni asked. Sans nodded as the heat rushed to his cheeks. "Yess! I called it!!" She looked at their mother. "You owe me twenty bucks."

"You knew?" Sans asked. 

"It was pretty obvious," Ava said as she pulled her wallet out and handed Bodoni a couple bills in various sizes. "I was surprised when you told me he was just a friend, honestly. She was just the first one to call that you two were probably more than friends."

"He's got his arm wrapped around him in the picture, anyone can tell you two are totally together."

"Guess I don't need to hide this anymore, then," Sans mumbled, pulling the half heart wooden necklace out from under his shirt before he pulled it off his neck entirely. The ring was still there, and as soon as Bodoni and Ava saw it, Bodoni gasped. 

"Is that an engagement ring?" She asked. 

"No, it's just a promise ring," Gaster said. 

"It was a Valentine's day present," Papyrus added in. "I thought it was an engagement ring, too." He sounded a bit upset at the fact that it wasn't. But, then again just about everyone thought they should get married. 

This was going better than Sans had expected. "So, you're both fine with this?" He asked, motioning between him and Gaster a few times. 

"Why wouldn't we be fine with it?" Ava asked. "You're an adult, you can make your own decisions." 

He sighed a little in relief. "Plus, you two are cute together," Bodoni said. Both Sans and Gaster felt the heat rush to their cheeks in embarrassment. Well... At least that matter was settled. 


	30. Twenty-Nine - HoPe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and his mother talk about some stuff, giving Sans the closure he's been needing for twenty years. Gaster makes a discovery at the end that's sure to please everyone involved.

Papyrus, bless him, had somehow read Sans' mind. So when the younger brother suggested taking Bodoni out for ice cream and suggested that Gaster went with, Sans mouthed him a thank you. Papyrus gave his older brother a thumbs up before he, Gaster and Bodoni left. 

So, now he was alone with his mother, with so many questions and so much free time, now, thanks to Papyrus. "Can I get anything for you, mom? Tea, coffee, water?"

"I'd like some coffee if you're up for it," Ava replied. 

"How do you like it?"

"Just four sugars."

Oh, so she drank it black. Huh. Sans went into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the dish drying rack (since he couldn't reach the cabinets without getting up on the counters), poured some coffee and put four spoonfuls of sugar in before mixing it and bringing it out to his mother. "Thank you." She said. The cup was steaming hot, so she set it down as Sans sat on the couch next to her. 

Right, this was it. He was about to ask. He just had to get over the crippling phobia of talking to her that he had, for like, no reason at all. Maybe because of the pressure of living up to standards that he was pretty sure she had for him. As if she could tell he wanted to say something, she just kept looking at him, and he felt uneasy knowing she was so invested in him. "So, you're in school now?" She asked.

Sans nodded. "Like I said, I'm majoring in chemistry and astrology."

"You like science?"

"Yeah." So this was what small talk was like. It had been a while, he almost forgot. 

"Do you have a job?" She asked. She didn't ask it like how a normal parental figure would, expectant and strict. She asked like someone who was just trying to get to know him. She was so nice, and so his questions burned even more in his head.

"Not at the moment, no. I did some stand-up comedy at MTT Resort, and a place called Grillby's. I was a sentry in Snowdin Forest." That one was not his best work. "I was a hot dog vendor in Hotland, and I worked under Gaster for a little over a year as his assistant."

"All while taking care of your brother?"

"Yeah," Sans replied. "It's only been me and him for as long as I can remember." He really, really wanted to ask her, but some fear was holding him back, and he didn't even know what he was afraid of. So, he held his tongue. He liked answering her questions. She must have been just as curious as him, after all, what happened after whatever it was that happened (boy, that's a confusing sentence). 

"And how long have you been with Gaster?" She asked. 

He didn't know how to answer that one. It felt like it was gonna need a long-winded explanation. "That's, um, kinda complicated. Technically, seven years next month? He hired me in April of 2011, and we got together only a few weeks after that." He said. "But, something kinda happened to him, and we were separated for a while... Almost five years? And we couldn't talk to each other during that time, either."

"What happened to him?" She asked. Ah, she was gonna think he was crazy... Here went nothing.

"He, um... Kinda messed up one of his inventions, and it erased him from space and time...?" Yup, she was staring at him like he was crazy. "No one remembered him, and he was in this place he couldn't escape from called the Void. I'm the only person who remembered him."

"Why were you the only one who could remember him?" She asked, looking more confused. 

"I'm kinda the only one to remember a lot of things that technically never really happened." And now she was staring at him like he was literally insane. Great. "It's a really long story... You, uh, probably think I'm crazy." He added with a nervous laugh. She shook her head.

"I don't think you're crazy. And, we've probably got a while until they come back. Your sister has a severe sweet tooth."

Was he ready to tell someone else about the resets? Him, Gaster and the kids were the only ones who did know. He hadn't even told Papyrus, who he'd known and cared for as long as he could remember. He sighed shakily. "Do you know about Frisk? The goat kid that freed us from the Underground?"

She nodded. "Everyone knows about them."

"They have a special trait called Determination. They're so Determined, that they can mess with time and space, an ability called Reset." She didn't say anything, just kept her eyes on him, so he continued. "I haven't told Gaster, but... I also have Determination. Even though humans' bodies aren't supposed to be able to handle high concentrate dosages of the stuff. I think it's because I'm the Judge...? That is to say, I can see how much LV or EXP someone has." So now he was even getting into stuff he hadn't told Gaster. "The kid has more Determination than me, and someone else who used the same power before them, so they get control over the timeline and get to make decisions. Like... Whether they spare everyone and we all go free from the Underground and lived on the surface. Or whether they kill everyone and erase the world entirely. They can Reset, which means they can take time back to when they first fell into the Underground infinitely."

She was definitely confused. "And you remember this stuff because you have the same trait...?" She asked. Sans nodded. 

"I've watched the kid kill people, on a loop basically. I think it lasted for two and a half years...? So, as far as everyone else is concerned, Frisk's only been in our life for a little under a year, and all they've ever done is free us. But, as far as I'm concerned, I've known them for two and a half years, and I've seen the surface more times than I can count, but... I've seen them kill everyone I've ever known even more. And I can remember each and every time they've Reset."

He was letting out the part where his brother and his brother's best friend who was basically a sister to them was killed before his eyes every single time, while he was powerless to do anything, and just wanted to die so it could all be over with, but that was the important stuff. Now she was looking at him with an expression that looked like a mix of mortification and pity. "Oh, stars..." Was all she managed to say after a while. Hearing the familiar phrase from her mouth, Sans at least knew now where he got the idea to say that. He was definitely glad it seemed she believed him and didn't think he was crazy. She looked at a loss for words now.

Sans sat up in his seat as he shifted in it uncomfortably. "I have to ask you something."

"Go ahead." She said quietly, obviously still shocked by the big reveal. She picked up her coffee cup, which was no longer steaming hot anymore, and took a sip as Sans asked his question.

"What happened...? How did Papyrus and I end up alone...?"

She set the cup down and looked torn on how to answer that. "I left home a lot because I worked a job that sometimes required me to be away from home for a while."

"What did you work as?"

"I was a soldier in the Royal Guard." Well, that explained Papyrus' fascination. "Your sister was with your grandparents, and I was training when it happened. Someone broke into our home. As soon as anyone had realized, I was notified almost right away... But when I got home, your father had already been found dead, your sister was still with your grandparents, and you and Papyrus were just... Gone."

Sans didn't say anything, and just let her continue. "After a few weeks of searching, you two were declared dead and taken out of the system. So, even once you got your brother enrolled in school, I guess no one thought to put two and two together and realize that was the same Papyrus."

"The government fails again," Sans said unenthusiastically. Ava nodded. "So... Our dad's dead...?"

She nodded again, playing with the ring on her finger. "He was dead for about a week before anyone found him. Before anyone even noticed."

"What, um... What was his name?"

"Franklin." She replied. "Franklin Sans Fontz."

Oh. So his name was his dad's middle name... He didn't know how to feel about that. "I uh, used to think just... No one wanted me or Paps, and that was why we were alone. And that was one of the things that stopped me from asking someone for help."

She shook her head. "As soon as your sister and I realized we were probably never going to see you two again, she was just never the same. You and Bodoni were best friends..." She took a sip of her coffee. "She barely even came out of her room, she never tried to make friends when she started school, she wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk... She was in a bad place for a long time."

So, Bodoni was struggling with some of the same stuff, too. "Did you take her to a doctor?"

"She's been going to therapy almost all her life. She was diagnosed with separation anxiety and chronic depression."

He could remember when similar words came out of his own therapist's mouth. To hear that his sister had similar issues... Well, he was pretty sure at this point the reason his brain was so fucked up was genetics. It was nice to have some sort of an answer. "I've been diagnosed with insomnia, chronic depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder." He didn't know why he was telling her all this. Even Gaster had to wait a few weeks to hear this kind of stuff. 

He was convinced though at this point that she had no ill intent. Looking at her stats, she had no LV or EXP and she'd been nothing but sorrowful throughout this conversation. 

She sighed and looked like she didn't know what to say next. So, she didn't say anything. She set her coffee mug down and opened her arms for a hug, looking at him expectantly. Sans blinked a couple times before closing the gap between them, scooching closer to her on the couch before she hugged him. Sans hugged back. 

He was a very emotionally reserved person, and always had been. The only thing that ever had the power to make him have such loose lips was alcohol, and he was perfectly sober. Yet, the past ten minutes, he'd been nothing but open, and honest.

He wished he could be that open and honest with Papyrus and Gaster.

So, now, here he was. In his mother's arms, which up until a month ago, he never would have thought this to be possible. He never thought his search for his family would have been so successful, and that was what kept him from looking for so long. He could have avoided everything. Could have avoided losing Gaster, since he probably never would have met him in the first place, though, he was having a hard time figuring out if avoiding all the heartache would have been worth it to not know Gaster. Could have avoided losing Papyrus so many times, since Ava and Bodoni lived in New Home and the kid never messed with monsters in New Home; so, if they moved in with them then, Papyrus never would have been in harm's way in Snowdin. 

His mother hugged him tighter and stroked his hair, and he had to admit that, it was weird, but this was... Probably the safest he ever felt. And the weirdest, too. Here's this twenty-seven-year-old man, feeling safe in his mommy's arms... But, he couldn't help it. His low HP and all his health issues had always made him feel vulnerable and weak. The years of bullying he endured as a child probably didn't help, especially since all the kids, although not much older than him, were still all nearly twice his size because he was such a runt. So, he closed his eyes and relaxed. 

_**~~~~~~~~~~** _

Bodoni and Ava left a bit early that night since Papyrus brought up the fact that it was Sunday. Apparently, their mother and sister both worked basically the same job for the same company, and while all their work was done on a computer, which was what permitted them to travel as far away from their occupation as they did, they still had to get up early and keep to a schedule. 

"You've been quiet since they left," Gaster said. He turned his head around from his computer to look at Sans, who sat on the bed picking at the scabs over his new wounds. 

Sans shrugged. "'M just thinking." He mumbled a bit quietly.  

"You might be overthinking," Gaster said. Sans looked up, pausing what he was doing. 

He shrugged. "I told my mom about a lot of stuff, and she told me a bunch of stuff, and I guess it hasn't really sunken in yet."

"Sometimes it takes a while for something like this to sink in, I guess. It still hasn't really sunk in for me yet that I'm even out of the Void and here." Sans didn't look convinced, yet. "Take your time, Sans. You've got nothing but time."

Sans nodded a little. Still concerned about his partner, Gaster decided to check Sans.

*** Check  
* Sans   
* 5/5 HP 5 ATK 5 DEF  
* Changing.**


	31. Thirty - Please, Just Get Married Already?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sans and Gaster are being cute and the audience just wants them to get married. 
> 
> This chapter is a bit shorter than others, I'll try to make the next chapter longer to make up for that.

He tapped his pencil on the table as he stared at his computer screen, trying to get school work done despite the fact that he was distracted by something else. It seemed everything he'd been through lately still hadn't sunk in. 

For one, he was still kind of freaked out by the fact that he was able to find the rest of his family. As previously mentioned, Sans had never expected it to be that easy to find them. Otherwise, he would have looked much sooner, and not just when his life started slowing down. Secondly. His health had been down the drain ever since he'd been stuck out there with only him and Papyrus. He's had bad health his entire life, and it only started getting worse as he got older and more years of neglect and harm had already been brought upon him by himself. 

Yet, he sat back in the chair, opened his menu, and scrolled through options.

*** Check  
* Sans  
* 5/5 HP 5 ATK 5 DEF  
* Changing.**

What did that even mean, changing? He didn't feel like he was changing in any way. Sure, life was more manageable, now that he was on medications, and the timeline was being allowed to move forward. It was definitely better than it had been, despite his recent relapse. Now that it was over with, that night was just stored as a one-off situation. He didn't feel the need to hurt himself anymore when he was doing fine. He wasn't cured, but he wasn't miserable, either. He was just... Fine. 

How had he gained so much HP, though? After years of not being able to get it up (joke not intended), why did he have so much HP now after only just starting to recover? Was this all it would have taken if he had started the recovery process sooner? Would the Resets even have allowed for there to be any kind of recovery process? Or was this another thing he was going to have to thank Frisk for at some point, only for them to break their promise at some point and reset everything?

Yes, he had to admit, he still didn't trust the kid. They'd promised that before so many times. This was, by far, the longest timeline Sans had ever seen, but that didn't mean the kid wouldn't get bored eventually. For all he knew, at any given moment, Frisk's paw could be hovering over their button, just waiting to press it and rip everything away from everyone. Especially him. 

Whenever he thought about a Reset now, he wondered what would happen to Gaster. He still technically didn't exist. The only reason Gaster was allowed to exist right now was that he had some corporeal matter; almost half of Papyrus' soul. The day Papyrus died, was the day... Something else happened to Gaster. At this point, no matter how many times he and Alphys had discussed it,  none of them really knew what would happen to Gaster if Papyrus died. Gaster had a theory that he probably couldn't even die, given that his stats were... Weird. He could still remember what they said when he first Checked Gaster when he first got out of the Void.

__*** Check  
* Gaster  
* 666/666 HP 666 ATK 666 DEF  
* Free.**

And his stats haven't changed since then. He sometimes got really bad migraines, and sometimes the text would be glitched out when trying to Check him. So, it was painstakingly obvious that even with corporeal matter, Gaster was still just as non-existent as he had been in the Void. 

That kind of scared Sans, but he couldn't focus on his school work. Now that he started on one what if, now all the other what ifs were gonna come out to play. Fun. Now he'd probably over think everything for at least half the day. 

Nope. He stood from his chair and used a shortcut to get to the bathroom before pulling a few pill bottles out of the cabinet behind the mirror. Today was a double dose kind of day. Taking double the medication was probably still safer than doing whatever else it was he used to do to cope. 

Well, he didn't cope. Not really. Laying in bed for hours wishing you were dead isn't really coping. Honestly, the only thing that kept Sans going during that time was Papyrus, because his younger brother almost literally had to drag him around just to make him do anything. He got scolded for being lazy, and for the longest time, he actually thought that was true. He still kinda thought it was true. Papyrus told him he was a slob, and he thought that was true, too. Of course, Papyrus was never trying to hurt his feelings. Sans didn't hold it against him. It wasn't Papyrus' fault that he had such fragile feelings, but he couldn't know about that, either. Because then he would know that his brother was internalizing everything he said, and Papyrus couldn't know about the kinds of stuff Sans thought. Sans hid behind horrible jokes and a smile that he kept permanently on his face. 

Wow, had he been messed up. It had gotten to a point where he'd been ready to kill himself, and couldn't even get the motivation to do that. The timeline would just Reset, and he'd be right back where he was. Waking up in his bed in Snowdin, waiting for the kid to rip everything away, no matter which route they went. Either way, he loses, and they win. Looking back at that point in his life, he thinks it's a wonder that he didn't try to off himself after the kid broke their Reset button. 

Of course, they could probably always just fix it, which was why Sans didn't trust them to keep their promise. Smashed or not, the kid was still Determined. As long as they were Determined, they could use that power to do horrible things. They've already killed everyone so many times, you lost count at around run four hundred fifty-six. It wouldn't be difficult for Frisk to Reset and send him through that loop all over again. 

Stars, he hoped they kept their promise.

_**~~~~~** _

When Gaster walked in the door from work, the first thing he saw was a Sans who had his head down on the table with the open, still glowing laptop in front of him as he softly snored. He hung his coat and walked over to see that Sans had been in history class when he passed out in front of the computer. 

One look at Sans' face, and... Gaster could tell Sans had been crying. He must have been having one of those days... That explained why he passed out in history class. Gaster sighed as he closed the laptop and picked his partner up. Sans continued to snore as Gaster carried him into their room, laying him in bed before covering him with the blanket. 

While he let Sans sleep, he decided to do some housework. It took a little over an hour, but eventually, the bathroom was free of bloodstains. Sans was still asleep, so he managed to do the dishes, and sweep the living room before Sans came wandering tiredly from their room and flopped on the couch. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Gaster said. "Uhm, good evening, actually. It's seven PM."

"There went the whole 'sleeping at night' idea I had," Sans mumbled. 

Gaster parked the broom in the corner before going over to the couch and sitting next to Sans. Sans immediately took this as a cuddle invitation, and Gaster couldn't complain about such, so he returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Sans. "You're upset, what's wrong?"

Sans shrugged. "Was left alone with my thoughts for too long, I guess."

Gaster nodded, knowing distantly what that was like. He hadn't been through that in forever, though he tried to keep himself busy because of that. That's probably why he took the position as Royal Scientist. It brought to mind his life just a few years before he met Sans when he was the hotshot Royal Scientist and even that wasn't enough to keep bad thoughts at bay. 

Either way, Sans was the focus right now. "Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked.

Sans shook his head. "'M good." He sighed, and the former scientist couldn't tell if it was a sad sigh or a content sigh. "How was work?"

"It was work," Gaster answered. "One of the children put a giant wad of gum on the teacher's chair while no one was looking. Mr. Schwartz had gum on his ass the rest of the day."

Sans snorted. "Schwartz... That's a funny name." Yeah, he was fine. 

Nonetheless, he was still concerned about Sans. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just glad you're home," Sans said. "Can't overthink about stuff if I'm too busy talking to you, right?"

"You've got a point there." Gaster replied. "Ehm, on a different note, your brother called me on my way home and told me that he and Mettaton were going to be home late, so it's up to us to make dinner."

"'Us'?" Sans asked with a grin. "Honey, you couldn't cook to save your life. Like, if someone pointed a gun to your head and told you to cook, you'd take him out just by burning the house down."

"Well, I'll never get better if I don't try, right?"

"I was thinking regardless of if you try."

Gaster put his hand on his chest in mock offense. "Wow, you're so mean." Sansstuck his tongue out playfully, and Gaster stood from the couch, his boyfriend following behind him and into the kitchen. 

At 11:30 PM, sharp, which was what Papyrus considered late, the former sentry opened the front door with bags of groceries in his arms, his boyfriend behind him carrying a couple bags as well. The door swung open, and he set the groceries down, holding the door open for Mettaton, who gave a quick "Thanks, darling." Before setting his bags down and closing the door behind them. Seeing that Sans and Gaster weren't in the living room, and he'd told Gaster he was in charge of making dinner tonight, he and Sans must have been in the kitchen. 

Which was, unfortunately, correct. Papyrus stood in the kitchen doorway, seeing his brother, Gaster, and the entire kitchen covered in ingredients. "We tried to make spaghetti," Sans said sheepishly. "I think we punched the vegetables too hard..."

From next to him, Mettaton snapped a picture, flash and all of this heinous sight. "That's going online." 

"At least we didn't burn the house down."

_**~~~~~** _

Well, the kitchen was finally clean. It was nearing midnight, but the kitchen was clean. Now there was just the issue of getting the vegetable guts off of Sans and Gaster. "You could always just take a shower together, you know," Mettaton suggested. 

"What, like, at the same time?" Sans asked.

"Why not?" He asked. "You've probably both seen it all before."

"I don't think we're at that stage yet," Sans said. He looked at Gaster. "You should get a shower first, you have work in the morning. Online schooling is kinda something that doesn't really have that strict of a deadline."

Mettaton rolled his eyes. When were these two just gonna get married? Gaster agreed but said he wouldn't take long, so Sans could get the veggie entrails off of him soon before the former scientist went into the bathroom to take a shower.


	32. Thirty-One - The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dinner get together turns sour when Sans gets himself into a pickle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the 'second person pov' period, the reader is put in Sans' shoes, thus, pronouns like he and his and his own name, aren't used unless spoken by a character. Instead, you and your and you're is used. Basically, for this chapter, the reader is Sans.

_**~~~~~Second Person's POV~~~~~** _

Papyrus had come up with the brilliant idea of putting together a dinner party. The dinner party would take place at the shared home, where Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, Asgore, Chara, Asriel and Frisk lived. Everyone agreed that they wanted to meet your mother and twin sister. You were still coming to terms with the fact that you even had a twin. 

So, here you were, the night of the big old family dinner. Papyrus had begged you to dress up for the occasion, and you figured that was the least you could do. You had absolutely no idea how bow ties worked, though, so Gaster was helping you. "Why not just wear a normal tie?"

"You and Pap are already wearing normal ties. I gotta stand out somehow." You said. Gaster shrugged, seemingly seeing the sense in your statement. "We're gonna be late if we walk... You wanna take a shortcut?"

"Sans, you really should do more," Gaster said. "Your brother doesn't call out your lack of effort to make you feel bad. He does it because he cares about you, and he wants you to take care of yourself so you'll be around for a while."

"I know, I know." You replied. He was right. You really should do more. "I'm just, uh, taking this at my pace."

"And there's nothing wrong with that. But I think you're capable of walking a couple blocks." He really was right, so you didn't even continue to argue that. He probably knew best, anyways. "Are you gonna be okay, tonight?"

"Are you?" You asked. "You're not really into the whole social thing. This is gonna be a lot of people. Maybe even all in the same room at once."

"I'll be fine. I've known most of you for years, or at least months. And your sister and mother don't seem to really be an issue as far as social anxiety goes." He said. "I'm just worried about you. Frisk being there isn't going to bother you?"

You didn't know how this was going to go. You've driven yourself half insane being in the same room as that kid before, and you haven't been the most stable recently. Maybe you'd make some excuse so you could go to the bathroom and take another couple doses of medicine. Today felt like a double dose kind of day. Then again, you've been having double dose days a lot lately...

"Sans?"

Oh, you never answered him? You must have spaced out. You looked up at him. "Uh, I should be okay. Plus, I should probably thank them at some point, for, ya know... Helping bring you back into my life."

"Baby steps, love."

You smiled a little. Maybe you wouldn't need more medicine after all. Besides, it was about time you stepped up and faced your biggest fear. Frisk was definitely your biggest fear, or rather, what they were capable of. But you had more HP now, and the kid still hasn't shown any interest in Resetting and taking this all away. Maybe they'd keep their promise this time.

Wow, you sure were being optimistic. 

Being late March as it was, it was slightly chilly on your walk over there, and it was already mostly dark. It was going to get warmer out again soon, you wondered what crazy whacky surface adventures your brother and boyfriend would drag you with for. Picnics, playing at the park, looking at stars, maybe catching some of those glowy bugs that monsters called fireflies. You were sure Papyrus and Gaster would make life more interesting as soon as the weather permitted. 

You got there quicker than you thought you would, which was good since you were already ten minutes late. Not that being late was really all that exciting for you. You were the king of being late. You and Gaster walked in, him holding the door for you like the absolute dork that he is. "Why, thank you, kind sir." You say in an overly posh voice. 

"You're welcome." He replied back in the same tone. You suppressed laughter since that was the kind of voice you'd always imagined him having when you were just a kid, reading all his important Hotshot Royal Scientist notes back in the day, and he walked in behind you and closed the door. Bodoni immediately found you and hugged you, picking you up off the ground as she did so. Okay. This was fine. You hugged her back and a few moments later, you were sat back down on the ground and pulled you over to Toriel. 

"Oh, my, you two really do look alike." The former queen said with a giggle. You smiled a little, hearing your friend's laugh. 

"I'm guessing you two have met?" You asked. Toriel nodded.

"Yeah, cuz you were late, lazybones." Bodoni jokingly pushed you a little. 

Your mother walked over, and she kissed you and your sister's foreheads before she held her hand out for Toriel to shake. "You are their mother, right? Ava, isn't it?"

"That's me." Your mother replied. "You're Toriel?"

"Yes, that's me," Toriel said. "Your son and I have been friends for a couple years."

She didn't know that you had been dating, once upon a timeline. You kept your mouth shut and didn't bring that up. "He's talked about you a couple times already. I hear you have quite the selection of knock-knock jokes."

It was true, you had already told your mom about Toriel. The former queen had once played too big of a role in your life for you to not bring her up. She was your friend and had been your girlfriend, so it only seemed right to tell your mother about her. You left out the part where you had been in a relationship, though, since it technically never happened. You gushed about her for a good half an hour before realizing you should probably change topics before your mother thought there was something between you two. Which, there wasn't, now that Gaster was in your life again. 

"Knock knock," Toriel said. 

"Who's there?"

"Doris."

"Doris who?"

"Doris locked, that is why I am knocking," Toriel said, laughing. Your sister and mother followed after, and so did you. Papyrus loudly protested from the other room. You couldn't help the grin that spread across your face. 

Undyne and Papyrus came over, and your brother introduced Undyne to your mother and sister. "We've been friends for eeeever!" Papyrus exclaimed. 

"I've been around since Paps was like, this tall!" Undyne added, putting her hand up to her knee. 

"Oh, so, then, you've known Sans just as long?" Your mother asked.

"Yup!" She said. "Paps was five, and Sans was eleven. They were getting the tar beat out of them!! Well, mostly Sans. I swooped in and saved their asses before anything could even happen to Paps." She got your brother in a headlock and noogied him, to which your brother loudly 'NYEH'd in protest. 

"And we've been friends ever since! Undyne was basically our sister for the longest time."

"Yeah, she was a big help in raising Papyrus." You added. She was only a little older than him, but she'd always been more mature than Papyrus. She was just as... Overzealous as your brother, but she wasn't as naive. She was the first person who caught the signs when your depression started getting really bad. She was the first person to call you out on your shit, too. "And she was always around, so."

"Well, Undyne, it's nice to meet you." Your mother said. They shook hands, Undyne of course with a firm grip as she shook her hand faster than your mother could really keep up with. 

Everyone ate, and then had some pie, courtesy of Toriel, of course. It seemed like everyone was getting along. Your sister seemed to really be fascinated with your boyfriend, asking him all types of science questions and getting lots of nerdy answers you wouldn't have thought she would have understood. Papyrus and Undyne were currently playing tag, though it was more Undyne chasing Papyrus and Papyrus running away. Toriel was wandering around the first floor, looking... Worried. "What's wrong, Tori?" You asked. 

"Has anyone seen Frisk?" She said. Everyone who'd heard her shook their head, or said no, or some variation. 

"Last time I saw them, they were in our room." Asriel pitched in. "Maybe they couldn't decide what to wear...?"

"Sans, would you mind going and looking for Frisk? I am a bit worried."

Oh, boy... You didn't know what to think about that. You nodded your head. "Yeah,I'll look for 'em." You said without even thinking. It was too late to turn back now. You gave Gaster a glance, who gave you a thumbs up and signed 'good luck' before you started walking upstairs. 

You started with their room. Frisk, Asriel, and Chara all shared a room. You knocked on the door, and you were greeted by silence. After a few more moments of nothing, you stuck your head in the room and looked around. Dark, save for the nightlight shaped like a snail next to Asriel's bed, and the little bit of light coming off a streetlamp and streaming in through the windows. No kiddo in here. You knocked on everyone else's doors, though, when you were greeted by silence, you didn't stick your head into any of the other rooms out of respect and fear of what you might see. Bedrooms are a very personal place, after all. 

You checked both of the bathrooms, looked out one of the windows into the backyard, and still, they were nowhere to be seen. So, that only left one place; the attic, your old room. You climbed up the still familiar stairs and knocked on the door. When you were once again, greeted by silence, you opened the door and stuck your head in.

You immediately regret looking for them. There they sat, on the floor in a pink dress with matching pink bows on their long, floppy ears. In front of them was their Reset button, all put back together and looking to be in working order. You froze. The kid noticed you there, swiftly turning their head to look at you. 

"Sans, no- I-"

You didn't let them finish their sentence. You ran downstairs as fast as your body would carry you, not wanting to look at them, or maybe just not the button. You didn't know. What you did know was that you didn't want to be there anymore. You could hear them running behind you, yelling your name, telling you to wait, that they could explain, but the words were all blurred together in your head as you kept running. 

You ran past everyone, trying not to make eye contact as you felt everyone's eyes on you. Gaster tried to get your attention, but you ran past him, flung the door open, closed it, then slid down the wall next to the door as you heard everyone inside asking stuff, like 'what was that all about', and the like. Your face burned with embarrassment as you felt tears well up in your eyes. Fuck, that was embarrassing... What were you supposed to tell them?

The kid came running out first, and once you saw them, you took a quick shortcut away, not really caring about details like where you ended up. "Sans, I'm not gonna Reset!" Frisk yelled out, you only being a few feet away. You couldn't see anything, your vision blurred over by tears.

They were lying, right? They had to be lying. They've lied before. They've told you in so many runs before this that they would never Reset again, and then they did. But you didn't bring that up. Your voice was gone. You were shaking, you couldn't see, and you felt eyes on you.

You felt even more eyes on you as people started pouring out of the house and onto the sidewalk. They all looked like blobs, but the colors of said blobs helped you determine that it was Gaster, Papyrus, Undyne, your mother, Bodoni, and a few other blobs. They were all yelling something, but you couldn't hear them. You were just too shaken up to function. 

"Sans!!! MOVE!"

You managed to hear that before you also heard the screeching of tires and a car horn. Bright lights blinded you, and you braced yourself for impact. 

And then everything went dark. 


	33. Thirty-Two - The Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans wakes up in the hospital to find he's not the only one who got hit by that car. 
> 
> Song for this chapter: Chaos Chaos - Do You Feel It? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTA0DSfrGZ0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just read back some of the earlier chapters in this book yesterday and realized how many inconsistencies there are. Sans' height, Papyrus and Undyne's jobs, there's nothing consistent. Once I'm done with this book, I'm gonna be going back and rewriting chapters, fixing everything up. 
> 
> Speaking of 'once this book is done', it shouldn't be too much longer. I've been planning Sans getting hit by a car this entire time, and I knew I wanted it to happen sometime near the end of the book. So, here we are. Nearly the end. I'm not sure what I'm gonna work on after this, but this was my favorite project out of all the fan creations I've made. Also the longest, I'm pretty sure. Thanks to all of you for sticking around with me this long, and I hope to see you on whatever it is I'll be working on next.

_**~~~~~Third Person's PoV~~~~~** _

A bright light blinded him as he tried to open his eyes. Where...? Was he dead? Was this what being dead felt like? As pain started to throb through his body, he decided no, he wasn't dead. He wearily and slowly brought his hand up to cover his eyes, his muscles sore. 

"Ow..." 

That was involuntary. He heard people now, though just barely, which reminded him of what happened before he blacked out. They were all yelling at him, then there was a bright light... "Sans! Why were you standing in the middle of the street?? You could have died!"

Street... Bright light... Car...? He thinks he's heard the word 'car' a couple times now, but he couldn't tell. He was in too much pain, and everything was still fuzzy. He sat up, or as much as he could sit up, groaning in pain as he propped himself up on his elbows. He looked around the room at everyone, and looked down at himself, seeing he was in a hospital gown and there was an IV attached to him. His head hurt, so he rubbed at it with one of his hands as he sat up the rest of the way and looked around the room again. "Where...?" 

"We're at the hospital, y-you got hit by a car," Alphys answered. 

"What the hell were you standing in the middle of the street for, punk?" Undyne asked. Sans looked around again. Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, His mother, Bodoni, Toriel...

"Where's Gaster...?"

Everyone in the room exchanged a look. Sans was pretty good at reading expressions, and right now, everyone looked to be saying 'who's gonna tell him', just with their faces. "He's in the room next door..." Papyrus replied. 

"Wh-Why?" Sans was only now aware of how dry his throat was, but he didn't care.

"He just blinked into existence right between you and that car. Kind of like one of your shortcuts? He took most of the blow. You probably would have died, if he hadn't." Papyrus answered quietly. Sans felt his head spin. Gaster could teleport? Since when?

"Is he okay?" Sans asked, his voice full of worry. 

"He's still o-out..." Alphys replied. "Or, at least, he was when we checked fifteen minutes ago."

"Visiting hours are over!" Someone in the hallway called out. A nurse opened the door and looked at everyone. 

"Excuse me, visiting hours are over." She said. "Anyone who isn't related to the patient needs to leave." Everyone but Bodoni, Papyrus and Ava gave Sans a couple words of encouragement, some 'get well soon's, and then they left.

"Sans, you should lay back down," Papyrus said sternly. "You got hit pretty hard."

"Nah..." Sans said. "Don't wanna." And then he ripped the IV out of his arm (which hurt, but the rest of the hurt all over his body was distracting enough to the point where it didn't bother him) as his family members began protesting. 

"Sans! Get back in bed!" Bodoni scolded as Sans started trying to get out of bed. He ignored her, and everyone else's grievances with him as he basically limped over to the door and walked out of the room. He looked at both of the doors next to his room. Written on a small piece of paper slid into a slot under the room number was names. His said Fontz, Sans. One of the names next to his was one he didn't recognize, but the door on the left read Screen, Aster. Bingo. As he went to go over to the door, a nurse blocked his path. 

"What are you doing out of your room?" She said. 

"I need in that room," Sans said. He could faintly hear Papyrus talking to Bodoni and Ava in his room about how stubborn he was. 

"Visiting hours are over, and you shouldn't even be out of bed." 

"I'm not just a visitor," Sans said. Quick, think of something quick. "I'm his fiance." She raised an eyebrow, and Sans' frown deepened. He held up his hand and showed her the ring. "See?"

"It's not that I don't believe you. You just can't go in his room right now. You're not supposed to be out of yours."

"Then, move us into the same room. Either way, I'm seeing him."

He was trying his best to be assertive and scary, but that didn't really work on taller people. She rolled her eyes. "I'll see what I can do, but you have to go back to your room. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules."

His frown deepened. This was stupid. Sure, every muscle in his body ached, and he had a really bad headache, and he was upset, and the list of things wrong was admittedly longer than he could even really think of right now... 

She was probably right, and he should have just gone back to bed, but he was too busy thinking with his chest and not his head. His head wasn't of much use right now, anyway. So he just stood there, frowning at her, trying to think of some rebuttal, but without much luck. "I wanna see him." He said firmly, noticing a slight quiver in his legs as they shook a little, an obvious sign that he should really get back to bed. The nurse was thankfully too enveloped on constructing a reply to notice. 

"You can see him for a few moments, but then you need to get back to your room." He could tell she wasn't doing this out of the kindness of her heart since she wore a sour expression the entire conversation (resting bitch face, much?). As such, he didn't say thank you. She opened the door to the room as Papyrus had finally made his way out of the room and looked at you, then the nurse. "He'll be back in in a few minutes." The nurse told him.

"Alright," Papyrus said. He sounded like he didn't fancy the idea of Sans being out of bed in the first place (since, yeah, he didn't want Sans out of bed in the first place), but he agreed nonetheless. Sans walked (limped) into Gaster's room, making his way across the too big for his liking room before he finally reached the side of Gaster's bed. The door clicked behind the nurse as he took in the sight of his... Very knocked unconscious 'fiance'. 

His arm was in a cast, so, ouch. He had a few really bad scratches on his face, probably from getting dragged against the pavement of the street-- oh, stars, that was morbid. They had a heart monitor hooked up to him which sounded... Slow, but not to a point where it sounded like he was dying. Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... It was even, almost like sleeping. Gaster almost looked like he was sleeping.

"He should be okay. His HP is at a steady six hundred fifty... He must have a lot of HP."

Yes, he did. 666 HP 666 ATK 666 DEF. Sans had no idea why his stats were so demonic when Gaster was a marshmallow (soft and sweet). A very... Bruised and not awake marshmallow. He'd been expecting worse, so injuries this minor were a relief (over the broken bone mess he'd been imagining-- no, dreading). That didn't mean he didn't feel bad. 

This was his fault. He never even knew Gaster had the ability to teleport like he could (maybe Gaster didn't even know he could teleport?). Because of his break down overseeing the kid with their Reset button, fully intact, out in the open, within arm's length of someone who'd broken their promise before... Gaster teleported in front of him as a car was about to hit him, and he probably would have died if he hadn't gotten in the way. Gaster could have died from jumping in front of him. He literally just risked his life. 

He felt bad, but his confusion gnawed at him worse than his guilt. Why hadn't the kid Reset? Their button was fixed, they'd obviously been up there looking at it for a while... What stopped them from pressing it?

"He should be awake sometime soon. If I can get you two in the same room by some stupid chance, you'd be able to talk to him." The nurse stated after Sans had been taking in the condition of his partner for a few moments as it all sank in. 

He only nodded in reply as he looked at the IV drip hooked up to Gaster's arm, the cigarette burns and scars standing out on his pale skin. Gaster didn't show his arms very often. He usually had a sweater on, even in the hotter months, he wore a long sleeve shirt. Seeing the other's arms was almost sort of weird. "You should really get back to your room now."

He didn't want to leave, but he didn't feel like putting up a fight, either. The thought crossed his mind, but... he was still too tired for something like that. Not to mention shaky on his feet, probably with a mild concussion. He was at 2 HP out of five, which was still more than the 1 he was used to, but...

She walked over to the door and opened it, and it felt like it took an eternity to get over to the door. Staring back at the bed as he stepped out of the room, the nurse quickly shut the door, and Gaster was out of reach again, which, didn't sit well with Sans, knowing how close he was, and that he still couldn't see him. 

The lights in the hospital were unbearably bright, and at some point, he ended up sitting in bed with Papyrus sitting in the chair next to him, watching the cooking channel as a small lamp in the corner of the room struggled to light the space. The lights had been making his headache worse. 

Sans couldn't focus on the television, though he stared at it so he wasn't staring at a wall while spacing out. His eyes flickered between the television and the clock on the wall. It was about midnight now, Bodoni and Ava having fallen asleep already in their chairs as Papyrus soldiered on through the night with him. Papyrus wasn't usually one to stay up too late, but he didn't need much sleep, either. Papyrus could function perfectly with thirty minutes of sleep, Sans was pretty sure. Why he soldiered on as the clock kept ticking was beyond Sans' comprehension. 

Speaking of Papyrus; he kept looking at Sans from time to time, and the older brother caught it out of his peripheral vision every time he did. Finally, after Papyrus had looked at him for the umpteenth time, Sans asked, "Something on your mind, bro?"

Papyrus looked caught by surprise if only a little. He played with the ends of his scarf. "Sans... You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Oh, boy. This conversation... He didn't want to be having this conversation. "Uh, yeah, of course, Pap."

"Why did you run out of the house and stand in the middle of the street?" He asked quietly. "Was it like, um... That one time, after summer camp...?"

Oh. That. His brother had come home with Undyne after the pair of them went away to summer camp. Only a few months after Gaster had disappeared. Sans had been alone in the house for a little over a month, and the alone time didn't do him any good. When Papyrus had been in the house, Sans had a reason to get out of bed. The lonelier he got, the more he must have forgotten Papyrus would be back at some point. In fact, he even knew what day Papyrus would be home, even knew what time he'd probably be home. The solitude had driven him to attempt to take his own life. Papyrus and Undyne walked in the door while he was bleeding out on the bathroom floor. Undyne's been watching like a hawk ever since, and even Papyrus tried to stay aware of what his older brother was going through. Not that it really worked...

Papyrus searched his face as Sans searched for words. "No, Pap, I..." How was he supposed to explain? "I wasn't trying to do anything like that, honest. I was just a little rattled."

"Why?" Papyrus asked, ignoring the pun. "What happened?"

"It's a long story..." He said. He didn't want to tell Papyrus about the Resets... He shouldn't have to know about that. He shouldn't have to be burdened with the knowledge, even for only one timeline, that the kid could Reset at any moment and rip away their happy ending to start the story all over again and make sure it didn't have a happy ending. 

"We've got all night," Papyrus replied.

Ah, this was how he ended up telling his mother. He didn't know how he'd been able to tell her, and why he felt like he couldn't tell Papyrus... But his brother always looked so upset whenever Sans was depressed. He didn't know how to help, and that was all he wanted to do. He sat up in bed more as he decided how to tell his brother. 

"You know how I have a lot of nightmares?"

Papyrus nodded. "Yeah, you've been having them for a couple of years now."

"In my most common nightmare, I wake up in my bed in Snowdin. We leave the house for sentry duty after breakfast spaghetti, and Frisk comes out of the Ruins covered in blood." So far, his brother looked horrified. Great. He paused before continuing. "Except, they're not bad dreams. They're memories."

"Sans, Frisk would never do anything to hurt anyone." He said. "If they wanted to hurt us, they wouldn't have freed us from the Underground."

"They have weird time abilities, Papyrus. We've been on the surface more times than I can count." Which was true. Sans couldn't count on both hands how many times they'd been up here. "But..."

"But...?" Papyrus said once Sans didn't continue.

"They don't always free us from the Underground."


	34. Thirty-Three - Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk apologizes, Gaster wakes up, and they get to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, two chapters in one day. Call the freakin' press.

The words had come out of his older brother's mouth so quietly that he wasn't sure if he'd heard Sans correctly. "The kid has something called Determination, and with that power, they have the ability to do something called Reset. They can rewind the timeline back to the beginning when they fell into the Underground. If they die, they can reload from their last Save Point."

"And... They've used this ability? How many times?"

"I can't remember," Sans said. "I, uh, lost count around six hundred."

"What else do they do other than free us from the Underground...? There isn't much else they can really do, is there?" Papyrus asked. Sans would have laughed at that if it weren't for the fact that Papyrus was clueless. 

"Well, sometimes they free us from the Underground. Sometimes they only kill specific people. Sometimes they kill a lot of people. Sometimes they kill everyone. And just like I was the only one who remembered Gaster, I'm the only one who remembers timelines, too." His brother looked almost apathetic about everything he just said, even as Papyrus sat there in shock, trying to put this information all together in his head. 

"So... While I was busy worrying about capturing a monster, you knew there was always one on the way who could just... Kill everyone...?" Sans nodded. Papyrus frowned. "And... They kill...  _Everyone_...?"

"'Cept Alphys. I'm pretty sure she offs herself in those runs."

"They kill Undyne?" Sans nodded. "And Asgore, and Toriel, and... Mettaton...?" He nodded again. "And you...?"

"They get me last," Sans said. 

Papyrus frowned deeper. "I stand in their way at the edge of Snowdin... Do I do that in the bad runs, too?" Sans nodded. "Do they... Kill me...?"

Sans nodded.

"Oh..." Papyrus leaned back in his seat, taking that information in. 

"I freaked out earlier cuz they had their Reset button out." Sans finally said. "They promised they wouldn't Reset again, but they've made that promise before, so..."

"You thought they were going to break their promise again and start killing again," Papyrus said. It was a statement, not a question, but Sans nodded anyways. "is that what your nightmares are about? Everyone dying?"

"Yeah," Sans replied. "Mostly, uh, just you, though."

"If the monster Reset again, you'd lose Gaster, wouldn't you...?"

Sans nodded, and wowie, he was doing a lot of that. He played with the hospital bracelet around his wrist, and Papyrus looked at said wrist. Old scars littered his older brother's wrists, but there seemed to be new ones, too. 

"So, I ran out the house. And when they followed me out there, I didn't wanna be near them. So I teleported away. I couldn't, uh, see very well. I was really disoriented. So, I didn't know I was in the street."

"And then Dr. Gaster teleported in front of you and took most of the hit," Papyrus said. The brothers fell into silence, Bodoni and Ava still snoring in their chairs. Papyrus looked back up at the television, realizing the show had changed while he and Sans were talking, and now it was this weird cooking show where this guy was yelling at everyone and insulting them. He looked back over at his brother, who was looking around the room. "Sans?" Sans looked at him. "Don't be worried, okay? I'm sure he's gonna be okay."

Sans only nodded a little, before they both looked up at the tv. 

_**~~~~~~~~~~** _

When Sans awoke the next day, it was because he was being shaken awake by Papyrus. They were still in the hospital, he gathered after looking around. "Sans, you have a visitor." Visitor? He looked towards the door- Oh. It was... Frisk. The person he wanted to see least right now. Sans looked up at Papyrus, giving him a pleading look. "They wanna talk to you alone, okay? I'll be right out in the hall."

"O-Okay..." Sans managed. Papyrus walked out of the room, leaving only him and Frisk in the room. They walked over kind of slowly, holding a flower in one of their paws before giving it to Sans. He accepted the flower, still wary of them. 

"I'm really sorry, Sans... This is my fault." Frisk said. Sans didn't confirm or deny that since he wasn't really sure who to blame. 

"Why'd you have the button out like that if you weren't gonna press it, kid?" 

Frisk fumbled with the sleeves of their sweater. "I look at it, sometimes... To remind myself of what I did." They said. "I killed and hurt so many people, you especially... I was never satisfied with any of the endings, cuz there were always people I couldn't save, and so I went through the Underground looking for some way to get the happiest ending I could. By the time I realized I was hurting you, I thought I was close to finding some way to save everyone, but... It took a while even after that."

Sans didn't say anything, so Frisk continued. "But, then, even after I stopped, I noticed you still weren't happy, and I wanted to give you the happy ending you deserved, too, without Resetting and making it worse. So... I looked through your stuff, and I found out about you and Gaster..."

"And then you took me to that room he was trapped in..." Sans said. Frisk nodded. 

He didn't know what to say to that, so he didn't say anything. "I'm really, really sorry for making you think I was going to take this all away again, Sans... I mean it, though. No more Resets. I've saved everyone I can, and even if there was anyone else, it wouldn't be worth going through everything again, and it definitely wouldn't be worth hurting you and taking away your happy ending that you didn't even expect to ever have."

He still didn't say anything. "You don't need to forgive me, and if you hate my guts, I completely understand..." Frisk continued. "I killed your brother and all your friends so many times... Chara even told me there was no real point, especially in doing it over and over again, but I didn't listen. I just wanted everyone to have a happy ending..."

"Kid, I don't...  _Hate you_." Sans said. "I dislike you pretty strongly, but... At least you apologized for what you did, and you made up for it without even having to Reset and kill everyone we know again. You got Gaster back, and... I dunno where I'd be without him, so... Thanks."

"No more Resets," Frisk repeated. "From now on, the timeline's only going in one direction; forward. I promise."

"Yeah, well, if you break that promise, kid, you're not gonna like what happens."

"If I Reset again, I'm sure to have a bad time."

"Damn straight you will, ya brat." Sans reached a hand up and ruffled their fur until it was a mess. "Don't tell Tori, though. Remember, I'm supposed to protect you."

"Okay." They said. Their eyes lit up. "Oh, Gaster's awake in the next room, by the way! I heard the nurses say that you could go see him when you were up, too. They're probably gonna let you both go home later today, too."

At hearing that Gaster was awake, Sans immediately started getting up to get out of bed. It took longer than it should have, but after a few moments, he was standing again. His legs still felt a bit shaky, and he was still a little sore from getting so suddenly impacted, but he was up, nonetheless. He and the kid left the room and went into the hallway, where Papyrus sat in one of the chairs. At seeing Sans and Frisk, he stood. "Sans, did you hear?"

"Yup, he's awake, right?" Sans said.

"Yeah!" Papyrus replied. "And he wants to see you." 

Sans was already making his way to Gaster's room, already at the door. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, and everyone in the room, Ava, Bodoni, and Undyne, all looked at the door as he, Frisk and Papyrus walked in. Papyrus closed the door behind them as Sans walked across the room and over to the side of the bed where a now conscious Gaster lay in bed with his cracked glasses on. The former scientist was about to open his mouth to say something when Sans leaned down and kissed him pretty suddenly, which caused everyone in the room to see a red-faced Gaster. 

Sans finally pulled away again after a few moments, and Gaster struggled for words for a few moments before he said: "Well, good morning to you, too."

Sans laughed a little, relieved to see that Gaster was okay. "I think you need new glasses."

"Yes, yes I do," Gaster replied. "I think I'm going to steer away from round frames, from now on. They make me look older than I actually am."

"Oh, my, everyone, look at the time!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I just remembered we all have other things to do. Let's leave these two alone."

And just like that, everyone started mumbling about how they had to go do this or go do that. Undyne said about how she was supposed to be working right now and was just on break. They all left quite hastily, even Ava and Bodoni who, along with Papyrus, said they'd be back later when he and Gaster were discharged from the hospital. 

So, now the only ones in the room where Sans and Gaster. The former scientist sat up in bed before kneeling and patting the spot on the bed in front of him. Sans climbed up onto the hospital bed and sat in front of him as he took in the sight of his boyfriend again. His arm was in a cast, and his face was still all scraped up to Hell and back, but other than that, he didn't look too worse for wear. "Is it broken...?" He asked.

Gaster looked at his arm. "Yeah, it'll probably take a month or two to heal." He said. "I have off of work for a week. They're gonna prescribe pain medicine for both of us, and one of the side effects is drowsiness. Papyrus already called the company your school is run through and explained what happened to them, so you're also excused for a week, and your grades won't suffer too badly."

Sans sighed in relief. "That was... One of the furthest worries I had, but still." He said. They both sat in silence for a moment before Sans decided to speak again. "Why'd you do it...?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "A little after I got back, that first day you were sick? Your brother and I spoke. He told me about how bad you'd gotten while I was gone, and he said he didn't know what you'd do if I wasn't around. When I saw that car coming at you... I realized I didn't know what I'd do without you, either."

And now Sans felt his face flushing red. He gently punched Gaster's not injured arm. "Psh, you nerd." He said, trying to cover his embarrassment up. His boyfriend grinned at him cheesily. 

"You can only imagine my confusion when the nurse came in this morning and told me my fiance had come in to see me last night. What's that about?"

"Visiting hours were over, and I knew I wouldn't have been allowed in here if I said I was your boyfriend," Sans replied. "So, I bent the truth a little."

"Clever," Gaster said. He leaned back a little, and they both looked out the window. The sun looked like it was going to set in a few hours, maybe less. The former scientist sighed. "God, I hate hospitals."

"You can say that again," Sans mumbled. 

_**~~~~~** _

Papyrus, Bodoni, and Ava did come back a few hours later like they said they would. They were doing a little bit of paperwork at the front desk while Sans and Gaster got their stuff back in big, clear plastic bags that said 'patient's belongings' on it. The clothes they'd worn to the dinner were a bit dirtied and banged up, but it wasn't anything Toriel probably couldn't mend. A nurse talked to Gaster about the medicine they were gonna be on. Sans had to take two pills while Gaster had to take three, Gaster's dose, of course, is larger than what it would usually be because of his height. "Just take another dose every four to six hours with water, for a couple days, or until the pain is tolerable."

"Okay, thank you very much," Gaster replied as he was handed the paper saying which drugs it was they were supposed to get, footnotes saying the exact same things she had just told them, probably in case they forgot the dosage. Sans could tell that even though Gaster was being polite to the nurse, he wanted nothing more to not have to speak to more people. He just wanted to go home. Sans seconded that notion. 

Luckily for them, it was time to go home. They all piled into Papyrus' car, with Ava in the passenger seat,  and Sans, Gaster, and Bodoni in the back seats. As it turned out, the hospital was a good ten miles away from home, so the drive was a little longer than anyone liked.

Despite the fact that they'd been hit by a car, everything seemed to be back to normal. Papyrus made spaghetti for dinner, then Ava and Bodoni went home shortly thereafter. They announced they'd be quitting their jobs and moving nearby, so they'd never be separated from Sans and Papyrus again. Papyrus announced he was going to bed basically right after dinner, and he did, which left Sans and Gaster alone again. 

The former scientist handed Sans a marker, to which Sans was confused. "Do you wanna be the first to sign my cast? That's a thing people do, right?"

"Uh, sure," Sans said. He signed his name in lowercase letters, which would annoy his brother as soon as he saw it. Just for shits and giggles, he put a small heart next to his name, too, wanting it to stand out, should anyone else sign their name.

"Pshh, nerd." Gaster teased. 

"You're a bigger nerd than me," Sans said. "Besides, now everyone'll know you're mine."

Gaster smiled and rolled his eyes. "Do you want to come with me tomorrow, when I go pick up our medicine at the pharmacy and get new glasses?"

"Sure," Sans said. "For now, though, let's hit the hay. I'm bone tired."

So, they went into their room, and both got dressed for bed. It was a bit more difficult for Gaster, what with the cast over his arm, so eventually he just wore a tee shirt, given that his sweaters didn't fit over the cast in a way he was comfortable with. That would probably prove to be an issue at some point, but right now, they were both too tired to give a fuck. They crawled into bed, and Gaster had to be wary of how he laid down so that he or Sans wouldn't roll onto his arm in the middle of the night. 

"Goodnight, Sans," Gaster said through a yawn as magic hands worked to turn off the lights. 

"I love you," Sans said.

"I love you, too." The former scientist said. He kissed Sans on the forehead before the final light was turned off. "Sweet dreams."

And with that, they both fell asleep quickly.


	35. Thirty-Four - Yes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *pukes up so much cute onto word document that gets diabetes and cavities from the sweetness*
> 
> Or, in which Gaster asks a very important question. 
> 
> Song of this chapter: Lego House by Ed Sheeran

Anxiety curled itself around Gaster's soul as he took a deep breath in and out. He didn't know why he was so nervous... What was the likelihood that this would go badly?

It'd been a little less than a month since the accident. The weather was getting warmer, and since the dinner party failed so badly, Papyrus had planned a picnic for today. Toriel was going to be bringing pie, and Papyrus was making spaghetti. Alphys was bringing sushi and a few other Japanese dishes for everyone to try. Ava was bringing Jello. Everyone capable of cooking was bringing something, basically. It was more of a potluck than a picnic. It just so happened they were gonna be outside. 

So, here he was, with a plate full of food even though he was sure he wouldn't be able to eat this much in one sitting. He'd never been a heavy eater. Sans was talking with Toriel, telling her jokes as Papyrus loudly protested a couple feet away. Chara, Asriel, and Frisk were running around, getting chased by Undyne. They all looked like one big, crazy family. 

Sans caught sight of him staring, and waved a little. Gaster waved back. Stars, he hoped this went well. He looked over at Papyrus and gave him a quick nod of the head. Papyrus then walked over to one of the picnic benches no one was using and got up onto the table. "I'd like to have everyone's attention, please!!" He said loudly. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and Gaster felt the anxiety move from his soul to his stomach. He felt like throwing up. At least the park was big, so all the other people here were in different parts of the park. Everyone in front of him he knew pretty well by now. That helped.

"Due to the, erm, unfortunate events of what transpired at the dinner, I decided we should all try again to get to know each other better. That's why I planned this picnic for all of us! But, today's important in another way." Papyrus said. Gaster put his hand in his pocket as Papyrus glanced over at him. He felt his heart pound in his chest as Sans' younger brother smiled a little. "And with that, please give your undivided attention to Gaster."

And so they did. Gaster felt twenty-two eyes on him (it would have been twenty-four if both Undyne and Mettaton weren't missing an eye) as soon as Papyrus finished his sentence. He decided to ignore everyone else's eyes, to just focus on Sans. Because otherwise, he was going to chicken out. "I'm, um, not very good with words," He prefaced with a small, nervous laugh. "I just wanted to say that I'm very grateful to be on the surface with all of you, and not in the Void. And..." 

Alright, here went nothing. Don't screw this up now. He looked over at Sans, who still stood next to Toriel, hooked on his every word. He walked over, and Sans looked confused. When he got over to his partner, he stopped in front of him. Hand shaking a bit, he reached for Sans'. Sensing his shaken nerves, Sans, despite still being confused even as everyone else around him was catching on with small gasps (Alphys even started filming, which wasn't helping Gaster's anxiety) squeezed Gaster's hand to try to help ground him. It didn't help very much. "Sans, I still remember the first day you started working for me at the lab. You made a mean cup of coffee, didn't know what a uniform was, asked me what the female uniform was after I explained, and then you threw paper airplanes at me. And then I tried to fire you the same day."

"Heheh, yeah..." Sans smiled. 

"I'm really glad I didn't, though," Gaster replied. "Sans, you're smart, funny, kind, patient... And you still make a mean cup of coffee." Sans laughed a little. "And I love you very dearly, more than I could probably ever put into words, especially since words tend to, um, fall short." Sans' eyes remained fixed on him, and their fingers remained intertwined even as Gaster got down on one knee. "I wanted to ask you even before the Void, and what happened last month reminded me that mortality is a very fleeting concept. So... Sans Comic Fontz... Will you marry me?"

He'd pulled out a ring box and flipped it open while he was speaking. Sans nodded hastily, seeming to have lost his voice as everyone clapped and cheered, and Gaster felt his anxiety lessen. With a small sigh of relief, he pulled the ring out of the box and put it on Sans' hand. He didn't even get to stand up before Sans leaned down a little and kissed him with everyone still freaking out, and Alphys still filming. 

Yeah... Nothing bad would happen today. 

_**~~~~~** _

"So, Paps has known for weeks?" He asked. 

"Oh, yeah," Gaster replied. "I told your brother the day we left the hospital I was going to ask you."

"You could have asked sooner," Sans said. "I woulda said 'yes' if you asked me the day you got out of the Void, honestly." Gaster shrugged. "Question."

"Shoot."

"Who's taking whose last name?" Sans asked. "Am I gonna be Mr. Screen, or, are you gonna be Dr. Fontz?"

"I quite like the sound of Mr. Screen, but Dr. Fontz has an equally pleasing  _ring_  to it."

"Ugh, not you too!!" Papyrus yelled from the kitchen. The pair laughed at Papyrus' misfortune. 

"I think I wanna be Mr. Screen if you can stand the idea of continuing to be Dr. Screen."

"I did already think that was going to be my name for the rest of my life, anyway," Gaster said.

"'Sans Comic Screen'," Sans mumbled. "I like it."

"It suits you nicely." Gaster hummed in reply. 

Papyrus came out of the kitchen, dusting his hands off, even though they were covered by yellow cleaning gloves. "You know how  Gaster and I did some errands about a week ago?" Sans nodded. "That's when he picked out the ring. It was very hard to keep it a secret for so long."

"Did anyone else know?" Sans asked.

"Your mother knew," Gaster replied. "I asked for her blessing at the hospital before you came in. Your sister knew, too."

"Undyne knew! I'm not very good at keeping secrets for very long. I had to tell at least  _one_ person." Papyrus said. 

"I talked with Toriel about it a couple of days ago."

"Wow, so I was like, the last person to know," Sans said. 

"Alphys and the kids didn't know," Gaster said, shrugging. 

"I'm still convinced you two should have skipped the boyfriend phase and gotten married a loooong time ago," Papyrus said, crossing his arms. 

Gaster chuckled, shaking his head. "All good things come to those who wait." Papyrus huffed in annoyance at that. 

"Still." He said. "Anyways!" He said, slipping back into his perky persona, "When's the wedding?"

"Relax, Paps," Sans replied. "We literally just got engaged a few hours ago. We haven't started planning."

"There's no time like the present!" His younger brother reasoned. 

"How about next April?" Gaster asked. "April seventh."

"What?!" Papyrus exclaimed. " _Next_  April?! That's an entire year away!!"

"Well, April seventh is the day I started working at the lab, and it's already the fifteenth. Plus, a year sounds about right as far as planning goes." Sans said. 

Papyrus sighed heavily. "You two sure do like taking your sweet time." He said, leaving the room and going back to the kitchen.

_**~~~~~~~~~~** _

The lights of the large building flickered to life only shortly after Gaster flipped the switch on the wall next to the door. The place was untouched, still in the condition Alphys had left it in before the big move to the surface. "Wow," Sans said. 

"Yeah." Gaster agreed, looking around his old workspace. He'd been in this lab for so many years that he could probably still navigate around with a blindfold on. 

"Man, I haven't been in this part of the lab since Alphys called me in to give me that file folder she found in your desk," Sans said. He walked further into the lab until he stopped in a familiar corner of the room. "She's moved stuff around. This is where your desk used to be."

"And this," Gaster said, moving to the wall next to where Sans was, "was where your desk was."

"Hard to believe it's been seven years."

"A little, yeah." Gaster agreed. 

Sans walked further, reaching the very familiar testing area. He kicked a spot on the floor. "There's a black spot on the floor here, from the explosion."

Gaster walked over and inspected said spot. Yup, definitely from the blast. He frowned as he scuffed his shoe over the spot like Sans had. "Hm."

"Uh, sorry," Sans said, sensing he'd struck a sensitive topic. "I don't like thinking about it, either."

Gaster sighed, shaking his head. "It happened. It's over. There's no use in dwelling on it."

"What do you think woulda happened if... Not that?" Sans asked. Gaster shrugged. 

"Likely, I would have retired as the Royal Scientist a bit after that. You or Alphys would have taken my place, likely Alphys since you probably wouldn't have wanted a position like that."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm responsible or mature enough to run a science facility." Sans agreed. 

"You and I would probably already be married. Though, I'm not sure how everything would have worked out with Frisk's little time shenanigans, or where I would have fit into that equation."

"Knowing my luck, they prolly woulda killed you a half a million times, too," Sans said quietly, kicking the spot on the floor again. "Maybe the universe took you away from me to hold onto you for safe keeping."

"That's an optimistic way to look at a stupid cleaning accident," Gaster muttered. But, then, maybe Sans was right. If everything happened for a reason, which so many people believed, then maybe he did disappear just so he wouldn't have to be a part of everything that happened after he disappeared. There was no way of telling, but thinking of it that way at least took the sting of the situation away, if only a little. The former scientist sighed. Too bad Sans and Papyrus couldn't have been whisked away by reality 'for safekeeping'. Especially Sans. 

"Sometimes, I was glad you weren't there," Sans said. "Probably woulda sucked for you. You wouldn't have been a time anomaly if none of this happened." He said, gesturing to the blast mark on the floor. "So, you wouldn't have gotten used to the kid killing everyone like I did. Which means you'd be constantly miserable, instead."

This was a morbid conversation. One Gaster didn't feel like having. "Let's not talk about this right now." 

Sans seemed to agree wordlessly, walking around, looking at posters on the wall. Mosty anime posters. Alphys had turned the lab into her home when she started noticing how hard being the Royal Scientist was. She almost never got the opportunity to go home, anyway. So, she started living in the lab. A few hundred snippets of work days long gone flickered through his head. Everything was so familiar and yet different. 

"We should go. It's getting late." Gaster said. Sans turned his head and looked at him, considered what he said for a moment, and then replied. 

"Uh, yeah. It is." It wasn't really much of a reply. Either way, he turned around and walked over to Gaster. His and the other's fingers intertwined before Sans felt the world disappear around them. He blinked, and they were home. Shortcuts sure were handy. 

"Are you ready to go to bed?" Gaster asked, rubbing small circles with his thumb over Sans' hand when he took a while to register the fact that they were back. Sans looked up at him, looking distracted. 

"Yeah, sure." He muttered. Gaster was going to say something but then decided against it. Sans was probably just tired. Some sleep would probably do him some good. They had been up for a while now. 

Sans didn't need to do much to get ready for bed, hence why he was always done before Gaster. He sat on the edge of their bed, playing with the ring around his finger as Gaster changed from his day clothes into pajamas a few feet away. Everything about this... Felt kind of surreal. He'd never considered himself marriage material, before and even after meeting Gaster. Then Gaster disappeared, and he was convinced he'd never love anyone again. Maybe that was overdramatic of him, but then, the circumstances were pretty shitty. After Grillby and Toriel, he was really convinced he was done with relationships. He didn't even talk to his brother very often. There was no point. There were timelines where Sans had spilled the beans on his mental state to his brother, just for the kid to Reset and for him to be alone in his suffering again. 

But, now he was engaged, going to bed every night with the man he loved next to him. His brother and everyone else knew he wasn't okay, but he was being able to recover because the kid hadn't and supposedly wouldn't ever Reset again. Everything was going forward. Everything was getting better. Even as disillusioned as he felt right now, separated from himself as if his life was a movie and he was just watching, it didn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips as Gaster kissed his forehead and climbed into bed next to him. Gaster looked at him for a second before saying, "What, happy to see me?"

"Yeah, I always am," Sans replied. Gaster leaned down, resting his forehead on Sans'. 

"Nerd."

"You're a nerd, too," Sans said, sticking his tongue out. He smiled a bit wider when his fiance scooted on the bed closer to him. 

"I love you," Gaster said quietly. 

"I love you, too," Sans said. Gaster closed the rest of the gap between them, kissing his shorter fiance for a few moments before pulling away. They laid down in bed as magic hands worked to turn out the lights, Sans laying his head on Gaster's chest as the former scientist wrapped his arm around his smaller lover and pulled him closer. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sans. Sweet dreams."


	36. Thirty-Five - And They All Lived Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now for a super long last chapter. There will be smut. :3

Weddings were kinda stupid. Not the concept behind it, he obviously had no problem with it, since, here he was, married. This was his wedding. Everything that went along with weddings was the stupid part. Still, though, Gaster looked like he was having fun, making conversation with their guests. He was drinking, so that was the only reason he was talking so much in the first place, but Sans thought it was kinda cute how a couple drinks could loosen up Mr. Social Anxiety enough to the point where he'd even start conversations. He was glad Gaster was so comfortable around everyone. 

No, the stupid part was the fact that he'd have to stand somewhere and toss a flower bouquet soon. Which, what was the deal with that? Supposedly, the person who caught it was the next person to get married, but that didn't make any sense. Still, he held his tongue about these stupid traditions. Other than those things, this had been a more than okay day. Dare he even say, this was a great day. He was glad to be married, and Gaster looked pretty happy about it, too. This was good enough, and that was all he could really ask for. 

People crowded in front of him and Gaster when it was finally time to toss the bouquet. Sans turned around, tossing it over his shoulder as it flew into the middle of the crowd, where Undyne caught it. Everyone clapped and cheered, since they all had a feeling Alphys and Undyne were going to get married next, anyway. Undyne gave her tiny girlfriend a little kiss, Alphys flushed red and excused herself as the party continued. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Sans watched Alphys return to Undyne a moment later, her face still a little pink as she stammered. They sure were cute together. He hoped Undyne and Alphys really were the ones to get married next. They'd make a cute married couple. Probably move out and get an apartment and then a couple cats. They seemed like the kind of couple that would get a couple cats and then act like said cats were their children. He didn't know why he thought that, since he didn't even know if either of them liked cats, he just had a feeling that's what would happen. 

He's watching Undyne and Alphys interact when a group of people made their way over, the group consisting of his brother, Toriel, and his husband. "They really are cute together, are they not?" Toriel asked. 

"Undyne isn't cute!! She's vicious!!" Papyrus said.

"Yeah, as vicious as a goldfish." Sans chipped in. Papyrus huffed and stomped his feet. 

"Alright, children, calm down," Gaster said. Sans wanted to annoy his brother some more, since it was easy and funny, especially since Papyrus never really got mad, but he decided against it. 

Everyone seemed to be having fun, except for the underage people and the people who were going to be driving... Well, those people were having fun, too, just not as much fun as the people who were allowed to drink. Like Gaster. Sans swore he had two or three cups of wine. He was pretty good at keeping himself under control under the influence, Sans would give him that. 

Eventually, the time that the party was supposed to end was nearing, and people started leaving. Ava, Bodoni, Papyrus, Mettaton, Undyne, and Alphys were the last people to leave. "So, what are you guys gonna go do, then, if we're going home?" Papyrus asked. 

"Well, we decided against a honeymoon, but we're not gonna be home tonight," Sans said. "We're staying at a hotel."

"Oh! Well, have fun!"

"Oh, we will," Gaster muttered. Sans felt his face flush red as everyone started chuckling to themselves as they got into cars, Papyrus exclaiming how he didn't get what was so funny the entire time until everyone pulled away, leaving only Sans and Gaster.

_**~~~~~** _

They'd walked to the hotel since it was only a few blocks away, and despite the time of day, it was actually kind of nice out. They still both needed jackets, but it wasn't really all that cold. Gaster did all the talking to the person at the front desk, and they were handed a key before they went to the room that had the same number and letter on the door as were on the key. 

"Welp, guess this is home for the night," Sans said, pulling his jacket off and throwing it on the floor. 

"Mmhm," Gaster said. He sat on the edge of the bed, noticing it wasn't as good as their bed at home. It'd do for tonight, though. "They've got a restaurant downstairs, we should go get something to eat."

"You? Want to eat? Call the press, Dings." Sans joked. It was true. Another year later, and Gaster was still eating small portions. His stomach just couldn't handle meals. He had to have snack sized meals throughout the day. 

"It's been a couple of hours since you've had anything, either." He pointed out. Sans shrugged. 

"Sure, I'm down."

As it turned out, the food at the restaurant downstairs wasn't all that bad, and Sans was a bit surprised when Gaster finished all of his food. He wasn't at all surprised, though, when Gaster got a bottle of whiskey to go before they went back upstairs to their room. "What was the first thing we drank together?" The former scientist asked as he poured his husband a cup of whiskey. "'Fireball' or something like that?"

"Yup, Fireball. It's cinnamon whiskey. It's my favorite."

"Well, they didn't have cinnamon, so original will have to do," Gaster replied, handing the cup to Sans. 

"Hey, booze is booze," Sans said. Gaster poured himself a cup before setting the bottle down on the floor. "Shouldn't we do some cheesy kinda toast thing, or whatever?"

"What would we toast to?" Gaster asked. 

"I dunno. Here's to... Us?"

"Wow, that really is cheesy." Gaster said, clinking his glass against Sans'. They both took a sip. Gaster decided normal whiskey definitely went down smoother than cinnamon whiskey, and though he wished he could have gotten his husband's favorite drink for him, another part of him was a bit selfishly glad that he wasn't able to. It didn't seem like Sans minded since he took a way bigger sip than Gaster had, and he said 'booze is booze', which was the short version of 'beggars can't be choosers'.

Sans tapped his hand against the cup, hearing the 'clink' sound the ring around his finger made against the glass.  He... Still wasn't used to the idea of being married. And the fact that the ring was on his dominant hand just meant he had to look at it and be reminded all the more. Not that he was upset about being married, in fact, he was quite happy. He didn't think he'd ever been happier in his life, honestly. His HP was on a steady climb, and his health wasn't as shitty anymore. His mental state was still steadily improving, mostly thanks to medication, but there wasn't anything wrong with needing medicine. The idea was just foreign. Mostly because there had been a point in his life where he felt like he was unlovable. 

But, if he was unloveable, Gaster wouldn't have married him. Hell, Gaster wouldn't have wasted his time on him in the first place. So, although his head still told him every now and then that he was unloveable, he knew it was bullshit. Because here he was. Sitting in a hotel room. Next to his  _husband_. 

Gaster must have noticed his... Well, he didn't know what it was he was really feeling, perhaps... Confusion? That was the word that came the closest, without putting much thought into picking a different word for whatever it was this was. Either way, Gaster must have noticed his confusion, or he was just acting on his own whim, but he wrapped an arm around Sans, pulling his shorter partner closer as Sans rested his head against him. "I'm having a hard time processing this, too, don't worry." 

Ah, he always knew the right thing to say. Sans smiled. "I, um... Was kinda convinced it was gonna be just me and Pap living alone for the rest of our lives. At least until he found someone and moved out. I already planned out buying microwave meals for the rest of my life. However long it woulda been at that point."

"Well, I can't cook, so you still might have to get those microwave meals, but then, you can cook, so," Gaster replied, taking another sip from his drink as Sans laughed a little. Man, for such a businessy business man, Gaster sure did make a lot of jokes. Funny ones, too.

The former scientist set his mostly empty drink down on the bedside table, and Sans took a few sips before following suit. They turned a bit on the bed so they could face each other, and Gaster put one of his hands on the back of Sans' head. He ran his fingers over the fuzziness of the shaven hair. Papyrus just shaved it a few days ago, since Sans was complaining about how much hair he had. There was something so satisfying about shaven hair. But, he digresses. 

"You're a nerd." Sans teased lovingly, sticking his tongue out.

"Yes, yes I am. But, so are you." Gaster replied. Sans put his tongue away and nodded in agreement.   
  
 _ **((Smut warning))**_

"So, 's this the part where we..." He didn't finish his sentence before Gaster was already leaning in for a kiss. The older man's hand moved from the back of Sans' head to his neck, the other hand resolving to rest on Sans' hip. The shorter male let out a small moan as his husband pushed him down on the bed, hovering over Sans as his hands wandered. His hands were cold but familiar, and Sans felt goosebumps wherever his husband's hands had been. He definitely wasn't complaining, though. 

Magic hands were working on dimming the lights as Gaster pulled away from the kiss, leaving Sans a panting, blushing mess underneath him. The former scientist worked to undo the buttons on his lover's suit jacket, and it took longer than either of them would have liked. Once he was free of the offending garment, though, Gaster threw it, and it landed on the floor somewhere. It could stay there. He undid the bow tie and threw that, too. Then the button up shirt, which was the last upper layer Sans had on, his cute, chubby body on full display. The older man began undressing, and Sans watched, which Gaster noted he wouldn't have done the first time. 

Goodbye, suit jacket, goodbye, tie, goodbye, shirt. You can join the others on the floor now. Sans found it hard not to look at Gaster's arms, noticing all the cigarette burn scars, and the self-harm scars that were all now so old that they were faint and barely noticeable unless you knew where to look. The older man leaned down, starting to leave small kisses and bites on Sans' collarbone that made the other moan softly, reaching and grabbing a fistful of galaxy fluff hair, tilting his head up when Gaster started to migrate towards his neck. 

Gaster busied himself with the task of attempting to make lasting marks on Sans' neck (because, hey, Sans didn't seem to mind, and he was... A bit tipsy even before he drank more) while simultaneously also trying to rid him of the nasty beast known as pants. The zipper and the button came undone easily enough, and Sans had never been the type to need a belt (since pants were only ever too long but not too wide for him, given his short stature and weight), so after the button and zipper were undone, he pulled them off before pulling away from his softly moaning partner to take a look at his handiwork. Dark, purple circles littered Sans' neck, along with a few stray teeth marks. He whined a little at the loss of contact.

He leaned down again, kissing Sans as he worked to undo his belt. It gave him a bit of struggle, especially given his slightly intoxicated state, but it was off soon, and it joined the party of clothes on the floor before he started undoing his pants, which also soon joined. Sans' arms wrapped around him, and the former scientist felt his husband dig his nails into his back, which he had to bite his lip and hold back a moan because of that. It was something Sans just did everytime they did something like this, and... It drove him nuts. He didn't understand why, but he really wished his smaller partner would have gone further and dragged his nails down his back. But, he didn't. Oh, well. Sans probably wasn't even aware that he was doing it. 

Moving on abruptly as to not confuse his partner, Gaster pulled away from the kiss as he tugged on the waistband of his small lover's boxers. Sans nodded as he panted for air, breath taken away from the kiss they shared only a moment ago before Gaster pulled the last of his husband's offending garments off, tossing the no longer needed boxer briefs on the floor where they belonged, along with the rest of the clothes. His own boxers joined Sans' along with the rest of the clothes party a moment later, leaving both men completely exposed. 

Sans was a perfect blushing mess under him, with dark hickeys on his neck as he struggled to breathe from the steamy situation he found himself in. He didn't make eye contact, probably out of embarrassment, which just made him look all the cuter in Gaster's eyes. It was best not to stare for too long, probably. Sans would just get really self-conscious if he kept staring at him like this. So, instead, he trailed kisses down the other's body, from his cheek to his jawline, to his already battered and bruised neck, which made Sans moan a little as soon as he showed that area some attention again. From his neck, he moved on to Sans' collarbone as his cold bandaged hands slid under Sans' legs, starting to prop them up on Gaster's shoulders. From his collarbone, he trailed kisses down to Sans' stomach, where he stopped, not wanting to make the other uncomfortable. 

He busied himself with lining himself up at Sans' hole before he said anything again, and Gaster dully made note in his tired, drunk mind that they should probably communicate more in the future. "Tell me when I can move...?" He said, a statement that came out more as a question since he wasn't really sure how to word it. That wording worked well enough with Sans, though, considering he nodded. 

"O-Okay..." Sans stammered a bit. He was still flushed pink. 

Alright, here went. Don't mess this up, Wingdings. 

Surprisingly enough, unlike the other times they'd done this, Gaster almost kind of slipped inside, rather than having to slowly stretch Sans out, as weird of a thought as that was. They apparently did this often enough to the point where Gaster just slipped in, which was news to him. Sans made a small noise of discomfort, and after a few moments passed, he quietly said: "You can move..."

And so, he did. Gaster began slowly rocking his hips, and every time he thrusted in, especially when he'd done it a bit more enthusiastically, Sans made a small mewl of pleasure.  _Cute_. The smaller male under him was trying his best to stay quiet, it seemed, but the former scientist didn't like that idea. He wanted to hear Sans. So, now he just had to find a way to make him more vocal. His pace quickened, and Sans immediately seemed to pick up on that, since he made a really sharp, loud moan at the sudden change of pace, his arms wrapping around Gaster as his nails dug into the older man's back, which just spurred Gaster on. "A-ah, ha-harder~..." Sans said, his voice muffled from where he was hiding his face in between Gaster's neck and shoulder.

Well, his wish was Gaster's command. Gaster started thrusting into him harder, though he was mindful of how hard he was going on Sans, not wanting to break his tiny husband. Sans panted and moaned, mumbled a few unintelligible curses along with an "oh, stars, yeah~." that was just barely above a whisper. Unknowingly, Sans was also digging his nails into Gaster's back a bit more now that he was receiving more attention, and Gaster wouldn't have admitted that it was really getting him off. Between the nails in his back, and Sans making cute, tiny little noises of pleasure as he continued to... Well, pleasure him, for lack of better words. Considering the occasion, 'make love' was probably a more acceptable term, but maybe he was over thinking that, trying to fill the void with more words to distract himself so he wouldn't release too early, since, Sans was already getting him there. 

He decided to be spontaneous, because why not, and Sans suddenly found himself pinned to the bed, which he also wasn't complaining about. Gaster pulled out for a moment before slipping himself back in and gradually picking up his speed again, trying to get back to the rhythm they had a moment ago before the older man pinned him down. As Gaster continued, Sans could feel the all-too-familiar pressure building up as moans that were a few pitches higher than his normal speaking voice involuntarily escaped his vocal chords, joining the sound of slapping and heavy breathing, plus Gaster's own grunts and groans from the exertion, since he was, after all, doing most of the work. Not that he minded. 

He'd been trying to avoid eye contact from his embarrassment, so even as small whines and mewls of pleasure escaped him, Sans had his forearm all but entirely over his eyes, hiding from both Gaster and himself. But... He didn't know what possessed him to come out of hiding, maybe some sort of bravado that was made from a sex high and having alcohol in his system, but Sans let his arms drop to his sides, leaving himself open and vulnerable as he gripped the bedsheets and looked up at his husband. Gaster only seemed to notice that Sans had come out of hiding a moment later, and they made eye contact, and... It wasn't as embarrassing or as scary as Sans thought it would have been. So, his eyes lingered for a while, and even then it didn't mess with his nerves. 

Gaster seemed a bit spurred on by that, and Sans couldn't be sure, but with the way the older man was breathing, and with how erratic his movements were, stuttery, inconsistent, Sans was pretty sure Gaster was close. Which was good because he was too. He closed his eyes, focusing on the feelings he was feeling, burning this all into his memory-- the sounds, the smells, the emotion, and any other small detail he picked up while basically melting into the bed, his muscles relaxing as he got closer and closer. 

Gaster was also trying to savor the moment but in a different way. As his smaller partner continued to beautifully fall apart in front of him, he was sure Sans couldn't last much longer, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could last, either. His movement still stuttery, he picked up the pace again, to which Sans whined. "H-Hah~... Nnn..." He moaned, looking tired, and close, and before he could even tell the other, Sans released and ropes of cum splattered both him and Gaster as his back arched and he moaned out the former scientist's name. Which sent Gaster over the edge a moment later, and he pulled out as he reached his own climax and then flopped down on the bed next to Sans as they both tried to catch their breath. 

They were tired and worn out, but Sans still agreed to take a bath with Gaster since they both agreed they'd reached that level in their relationship. They had just gotten married, after all, and they'd seen each other naked even on non-sexual occasion. He hadn't finished his third drink before he passed out in the bath, though, having told Gaster he wasn't going to sleep, he was just going to rest his eyes for a bit. And now Sans lay with his head on Gaster's chest, softly snoring as Gaster decided to let him sleep. He could get Sans to bed fine on his own. 

As magic hands worked to change the bedsheets (there were spares in the dresser drawers), he held said sleeping Sans in his arms. Only once the bed was made did he lay his partner down before going through their backpack that he'd thrown on the floor a few hours ago and finding whatever it is that Sans had packed for pajamas. He found two grey sweaters at the bottom of the bag, which meant Sans had stolen his clothes. Cute...

He slipped one of the sweaters over Sans, as well as a pair of basketball shorts as the other continued to sleep. He looked so tuckered out... Today must have taken a toll on him. He didn't blame him. The being married part didn't bother him, just the dealing with people part of getting married, and Sans probably would have agreed. Gaster got dressed in the other sweater and some pajama pants, and his limbs felt like lead. He could see how Sans had passed out in the bath now. 

But, now the day was over. He got into bed next to Sans, pulling the covers up over them both before giving his newlywed a kiss on the cheek, brushing a few stray hairs out of his face as magic hands worked to turn out the lights. "Goodnight, Sans... I love you." He said quietly, not wanting to wake the other. He wrapped his arms around Sans and gave him one last kiss on the forehead before the lights turned out and he closed his eyes, soon falling into a peaceful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wHEEZES* 3742 words kill meeee
> 
> Nah but this is the last chapter. Imma be working on the Epilogue soon, so don't miss out on that. The story isn't quite over yet.


	37. Epilogue - Definitely The Happiest Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is beautiful closure.

The former queen sipped her tea as she watched everyone around her. What a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming... A perfect day for a picnic. Toriel's eyes wandered around. The children were playing tag, Mettaton and Papyrus were talking, Undyne and Alphys were sitting next to them, joining in the conversation. And then there was Sans and Gaster. 

She watched with a smile on her face as Gaster held a forkful of pie, and brought it up to Sans' mouth as the other opened his mouth. Gaster put the fork in his mouth, and Sans closed his mouth to chew as his husband smiled at him fondly. Sans was smiling too. It made her think about how Sans used to smile. Stiffly, permanent. Sans' smile had been a defining feature of him, and it took so long for anyone to realize that he wasn't smiling for happy reasons. 

But now, she watched as her friend took another forkful of pie in his mouth with a small smile, as Gaster grabbed a napkin and started cleaning the little bit of pie filling off of his husband's face. She couldn't help but smile at seeing them like this, so happy and just as head over heels for each other as they'd always been. It had been a little under two years since the former scientist had returned from the Void, and never had he and Sans went through any kind of relationship funk. Something told the former queen their relationship was going to last a long time. 

_**~~~~~** _

Sunsets sure were something. The sky turned all kinds of colors and the world seemed to slow down. He was marveling at this surface beauty when someone sat next to him. He looked over. It was Frisk. "Uh, hey, kid."

"Sans, are you happy?" They asked. Sans blinked for a moment, unsure how to answer. "I wanna know if I managed to fix things without resetting... Are you happy?"

He thought for a moment. "Kid, I had problems way before you and the flower ever came around. But, uh... Yeah, I'm happy. Or, at least, I'm getting there."

"That's good..." They said. They yawned and laid their head down on Sans' lap. "Did I do good...?"

"Yeah, you did good." Sans replied. He went back to watching the sunset, Toriel came over to collect her tired goat child, and then Gaster showed up. 

"The surface is beautiful, isn't it?" He asked.

Sans nodded. "Almost makes it worth the wait." He hummed. Gaster sat on the grass next to him, and they both watched the sunset for a while. They were disturbed when a car horn honked. 

"Come on, it's time to go home!!" Papyrus said. 

"We'll take a shortcut! Me and Gast are gonna stay here for a bit!" Sans yelled back, given his brother was several feet away. 

"Don't worry about us, we'll be home later!" Gaster added in. Papyrus yelled a reply about how he'd leave their dinners in the microwave for them when they got home, and then everyone drove off, leaving just Sans and Gaster. 

It didn't take too long for the sun to set the rest of the way, and eventually, the sky turned dark and filled up with stars. It was a bit too chilly out for star gazing, but that didn't stop the pair from staying another twenty minutes to look at them, anyway. They were just about to leave when they saw something streak through the sky. "Quick, make a wish." Gaster said. 

"Don't need to." Sans said. "I got everything I need already." The world disappeared around them as they teleported home. 

And they all lived happily ever after. 

_**The End.** _

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the relationships mentioned in the tags (Sans x Toriel, Sans x Grillby, Gaster x Asgore) are past failed relationships, as in, they won't have any part in this story and will probably only be mentioned once or twice briefly. If anyone complains about it being a false advertisement or something, I'll remove those tags and edit this first note to confirm that something like that happened. Until then, those tags are staying there.
> 
> Also, note that this is still Humantale, being a sequel and all. Please no 'skeletons don't have *insert body part that skeletons don't have here*' comments. I am very aware skeletons don't have tongues, ears, hair, eyes, lips, etc. They aren't skeletons in this story, they're all humans (except Frisk and the other fallen, they're monsters).


End file.
